


Our Fate Is Red

by LovetheOmni



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: A.U.gust, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Child Abuse, Classroom Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Locker Room Sex, M/M, Minor Violence, Possible self harm trigger warning, Red String of Fate, Sexual Abuse, soulmate!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-11-27
Packaged: 2018-02-08 00:38:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1920105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovetheOmni/pseuds/LovetheOmni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone in the world is tied to their soulmate by the "Red String of Fate" around their little finger. Ian and Mickey had been connected in that way since birth, but before they could meet, Mickey was so scared of being gay that he dug deep into his skin and severed the string. The string doesn't connect them anymore, but fate still has a way of bringing people together. Soulmate!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Наша судьба связана красным](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6783763) by [Ahe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahe/pseuds/Ahe)



> I never write chapter fics. This is so rare and special for me, but I really believe in this story. I have already completely planned out all 10 chapters of this fic, so I hope that I can update in a timely manner. I hope you will all keep reading until the end! Thank you!
> 
> Also, I have finals really soon and then it's time for me to head back to America so... I will do my best to update, but you never know.

Every single person in the world has a "Red String of Fate" tied around their little finger connecting them to their soulmate. The string is a vital part of every person's body: as necessary to live as a heart or lungs. It becomes visible during puberty, but only to the eyes of the people attached to it. The red, glowing string acts like a lifeline between destined people. If one person feels happy or sad, the other can sense their feelings emanating through the string. Even before they meet, their minds and bodies are one, connected forever.

Such a connection of fate creates a force commonly known as "the pull." It's a form of gravity that brings soulmates together, even if they don't look for each other. No matter what gets in their way, nothing can stop these two people from coming together. Hardship may be able to stretch or tangle the string between them, but it can never tear or break. It is inevitable.

Most people go about their daily lives anticipating and waiting for the moment that the length of their string becomes short and they are right next to the person they have been waiting for their entire lives. It's impossible for someone to find their fated person until the right time, but as long as they allow the pull to lead them step by step, they will always end up right where they need to be.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so excited about what fate has in store for them. When Mickey Milkovich realized that he was gay, his string was anything but a blessing. It felt more like a ball and chain sinking him down toward his doom. He had never been so scared before in his entire life.

It's impossible for someone to see a string that they aren't connected to, so some people in the world believe that fate connections between gay couples don't exist. Mickey's father was one of those people. In fact, he believed that homosexuals were "unnatural" and "disgusting." If Terry Milkovich ever found out about his son, he would probably kill him or worse. Mickey wasn't willing to take that chance.

When Mickey's string became visible, he could barely handle it. The pull was harsh to him. One minute, it yanked and jerked him into different directions and bombarded him with horrible feelings that weren't even his own. The next, it made him happy beyond reason and he felt himself craving the unknown person, _needing_ to know them. It was so overwhelming that Mickey could barely feel anything else, but what hit him the most was that he could sense the person lived nearby… and he could tell that they were definitely a boy.

Mickey did everything he could to fight against his fate. He locked himself in his room, barely leaving the house in case he ran into his so-called "soulmate." He fell into a kind of depression, refusing to even shower or eat. He didn't study and even got held back an entire year in school. Finally, he realized that just sulking around in his room wasn't going to work. Even if he avoided leaving the house, the pull would always find a way to have an effect on him.

If he wanted to elude his fate completely, he needed to get rid of the string itself, once and for all.

Mickey grabbed a pair of sharp, pointy scissors and took a long, deep breath. He'd always heard that getting rid of a string was impossible, but it didn't matter to him. He was desperate and willing try anything.

Suddenly, he swung the scissors down and brutally jammed them into his finger. He dug them deep into the skin, searching for whatever it was inside that kept him and this mystery person together. The string held on tightly, not wanting to let go, so Mickey kept pressing down harder.

He bit his lip and fought the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He could handle the physical pain, but something else inside of him was screaming and fighting. It felt like his soul was being torn in half. He'd never done something so painful or heart-wrenching before in his life.

As he tore through the skin, Mickey thought of his father, and a wave of fear surged through him. He _had_ to get rid of the string. It was the only way he knew how to survive.

With that thought, something changed.

The string remained intact, glowing brightly, but almost as if it was moving of its own free will, it finally loosened. Mickey watched in fascination as it untied itself slowly and slipped off of his finger. He had no idea what he'd done to get it to finally unravel, but it didn't matter. He'd actually _done_ it.

The string retracted into the distance, fading from view. Inch by inch, it shrank and found its way back to the other person it belonged to. Mickey let out a long sigh and put the scissors down with shaky hands. His string was gone. It was really _gone_. He hadn't expected it to be so easy.

What he _had_ expected more than anything was to feel relief, but to his dismay, it wasn't like that at all. Just like Mickey had hoped, he could no longer feel the pull of his soulmate calling for him, but all it did was fill him with a great sense of loss. For the first time, Mickey was completely alone, not connected to anything. It wasn't natural. It felt wrong.

Mickey looked down at his free finger and tried not to think about the feeling of regret that was beginning to bubble up inside of him. It didn't matter anyway. The string had already completely disappeared, replaced with a line of dark, red blood.

* * *

At the exact same time, only a few streets away, Ian Gallagher was hit with a sudden blast of agony. He had grown used his string sending him waves of pain, so much that he even suspected his soulmate was a victim of constant domestic abuse, but this was like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was like the string _itself_ was suffering.

A searing lightning bolt of pain shot up his entire arm, toward his chest. He gasped for breath, like one of his lungs had disappeared and the remaining one was struggling to keep him alive. He felt like he was going to have a panic attack. What the _fuck_ was happening to him?

He could feel his string getting shorter and shorter until he finally saw it: the other end floated into the room but no one was attached to it. The dull, red string retreated all the way up to his pinky until there was only a small piece left hanging off, lonely and connected to nothing.

Ian immediately fell into a panic. There were all kinds of stories and mysteries about the Red String of Fate, but he'd _never_ heard of something like this happening before. He tried with all his might to sense the other person that was always with him, but he felt nothing.

Loneliness crashed down on him and he could barely breathe.

Ian immediately rushed downstairs, desperate to find someone who could help him figure out what was wrong. He spotted his mom and dad passed out together on the floor of the living room, and even though he knew better than to talk to his parents while they were high, he still knelt down next to his mother and shook her awake.

"Mom," Ian sobbed, clutching his finger. "My string! It hurts, mom! It hurts!" The hysterical child wouldn't stop crying.

Monica blinked awake as if in slow motion and stared at him through hazy, glazed-over eyes. "Ian?" she asked sluggishly. "Honey, what're you saying?"

Ian sniffed back his tears and tried to pull himself together. "My string isn't connected to anyone anymore, mom," he whimpered. "What happened? What do I do?"

Monica was paying more attention to the ceiling than her own son, but after a moment, she responded with a laugh. "Your soulmate probably died or something," she giggled unsympathetically.

Ian looked down at the lifeless string around his little finger and his heart sunk. It made sense, so he figured that it must be true. All he could ever remember feeling through his string was pain and fear. Maybe whatever it was that his soulmate had been terrified of finally got to him.

Ian dragged himself back upstairs, leaving his parents to their own devices. He buried himself in the covers of his bed and cried all night, mourning the loss of someone he had never met.

Whoever they were, he had loved them with all his heart.

* * *

As Ian and Mickey grew up, it stayed the same. They graduated elementary school and then middle school, all the while feeling like a part of them was missing.

Mickey's string was completely gone with only a small, circular scar on his finger to remember it by. He ended up getting knuckle tattoos that read "FUCK U-UP" on each finger so that the F would cover up his scar. Mickey thought that it was the perfect way to say "fuck you" to destiny. He figured that if he covered up the mark left over from that day he would be able to forget, but it didn't work out that way.

Even though Mickey was no longer connected to his soulmate, it still hadn't solved his problem. He was still gay, and just like every other horny teenager, he had needs. He fucked girls and showed them off in front of others to keep his family from being suspicious, but in the end, he couldn't resist the temptation of other boys for very long. He hooked up with guys in secret, only if he was absolutely sure that they would never get caught, and resigned himself to a life of pretending.

Ian also found out that he was gay when he was very young. Even after he'd accepted that his soulmate was gone, he was determined to find love _somehow_. His string continued to hang from his finger, short and limp, but he barely paid attention to it anymore. It was like a numb, useless appendage to him now. He believed that he could create his own destiny and make his own happily ever after.

During middle school, he began hooking up with Roger Spikey. He even thought that he might have had feelings for the guy, but it wasn't long before he had to face reality. When Roger found out about Ian's feelings, he laughed at him. He told Ian that there was no way that they could ever be anything but fuck buddies, because they weren't fate connected. Ian was just a warm mouth to him, someone to satisfy his urges until his real soulmate came along. He urged Ian to wait for his own fated person, and the redhead agreed with a wide, fake smile.

Ian tried to act like he hadn't been affected by Roger's words, but it was impossible. The truth was he'd developed a complex about not having a soulmate. Everyone other than him was connected to someone special, but no matter who he fell in love with for the rest of his life, that person would belong to someone else. He had no idea what he was supposed to do without that glowing red string telling him exactly where to be. It was scary.

Ian didn't realize that he had no reason to worry. Fate always has a way of bringing people together. Ian and Mickey had always lived close to each other, but they hadn't truly come in contact until freshman year of high school. After that, everything happened exactly the way that it was supposed to.

After all, it was inevitable.


	2. Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: in this fanfiction, Ian and Mickey meet before they do in the show because "the pull" forces them together earlier. Their fate connection makes them immediately notice how they feel for each other in this story, but because they don't have that in the TV Show, events change and they don't speak to each other until a couple years later. I mentioned in the previous chapter that Mickey got held back so that Ian and Mickey are in the same grade. Their lives change a lot since their meeting, because Ian is actually able to make Mickey stay in school.
> 
> Also, I hope I made it clear enough in the last chapter, as well as this one, that the little finger responds to emotions and thoughts. When Mickey got rid of his string, it was NOT severed by the scissors. Mickey's fear and willingness to tear off what was basically like another limb to him was what made the string unravel itself. It responded to Mickey's survival instinct. Mickey's little finger also hurts whenever he does something that could lead him astray from fate. I hope this is clear!
> 
> The next chapter will contain smut so it may take me a little longer to write than normal. I've already gotten a decent chunk of it written, though.

The first day of freshman year had barely even started yet, and Mickey was already contemplating dropping out. He'd always hated going to school, but it looked like high school was going to be even worse.

Mickey sank low into his chair and sighed as his first period teacher began the class with a lecture about "the future" and how taking his English class would help when "applying for colleges." The guy seemed very chipper and enthusiastic about his students, so he was obviously new to the South Side. He would realize soon enough that they were all fucked for life, especially Mickey. It was useless to even try.

Mickey actually found himself missing those days in elementary school when he'd faked sick to avoid his soulmate. Sure, he'd gotten held back into the same grade as his little sister, but at least back then he'd had more time for video games and shooting guns.

If it wasn't for the stupid law that a minor had to be seventeen to get their parents' permission to drop out, he'd have already left a long time ago. Mickey figured that the family business of dealing drugs was a better use of his time anyway. At least distributing product and intimidating people for their money actually put food on the table. Studying shit that he was never going to use again seemed stupid. It was better for someone as hopeless as him to just quit while they were ahead.

Unfortunately, Mickey's body had other plans. As soon as he began to entertain the idea of dropping out of school on his seventeenth birthday, he felt nauseous and a throbbing pain shot up from his pinky. Mickey winced and cracked his knuckles in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Ever since the horrible day that his string had disappeared, his finger had been in almost constant pain. Some days it would get better and others it would get worse. To him, it seemed random. He had no idea what the pain _actually_ meant.

Mickey massaged his hand and tried to focus his attention back on the teacher.

"Okay, students!" the man said happily. "Like I said before, you guys can call me Mr. Mason. But next, I want you all to introduce _yourselves_ to the class." Many students rolled their eyes or groaned in response, but Mr. Mason seemed completely unfazed. "You, in the back, left hand corner: why don't you tell us your name and a little bit about yourself!"

Mickey sighed. Of course he was first.

"Name's Mickey," he replied in irritation without even bothering to stand up from his seat. "All you need to know is: I'm a Milkovich." The teacher didn't look satisfied with Mickey's short answer, but in reality, it was probably the most fitting description he could give. To Mickey, family was the most important thing. He wasn't even sure how he was supposed to identify himself without them.

The Milkoviches were almost like a gang: they were famous for always being together and putting the needs of the pack before their own. As soon as the other students heard his name, a hush fell over the class. They all knew that the Milkoviches were the toughest, most ruthless family on the South Side, and messing with one of them was like signing a death certificate.

Mr. Mason, however, wasn't quite familiar with South Side politics just yet. "Come _on_!" he insisted brightly. "Tell us something _interesting_ about yourself, Mickey."

Mickey opened his mouth to tell the teacher to shove something "interesting" up his ass, but he was interrupted when a tall, gangly redheaded boy threw the door open and trudged noisily into the room.

"You're late," Mr. Mason tutted to the boy disapprovingly. "Do you have a pass from the office?"

The boy shrugged. "Nope," he said unapologetically. He pushed past the teacher and helped himself to the empty seat right in front of Mickey. Mr. Mason just let it slide and made a note on the attendance sheet.

Mickey sighed in annoyance when he had to move his legs off of the chair in front of him, but that feeling was soon forgotten. Once the ginger boy's scent met his nostrils, the reaction was instant. A shiver ran down his spine and a wave of lust hit him like a ton of bricks. His breathing became labored and his mind turned hazy. It was like his brain short circuited all of a sudden, and he couldn't even function properly anymore.

Mickey frowned at the back of the boy's head in confusion. He didn't know the kid _that_ well, but it wasn't like he hadn't seen him around the neighborhood before. The younger boy was one of the many Gallagher kids, son of the local drunk named Frank. He and Mickey had both lived only a few streets away from each other for their entire lives. They'd even been on the same little league team together.

Mickey swallowed hard and tried to calm himself down. He couldn't understand why, after all this time, his body suddenly reacted so strangely to the guy. Then he realized: they'd never actually been in close contact since either one of them had gone through puberty. Mickey couldn't even remember the other boy's first name, so why the _fuck_ did it feel like the air between them was buzzing with electricity? In a way, the sensation almost felt familiar…

Who the fuck _was_ this kid?

As if reading his mind, Mr. Mason finally spoke up. "Alright, Mr. tardy," he said. "It's your turn next. First off, what's your name?"

The boy seemed to snap out of a daze. "Huh?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"We're doing introductions. Please tell us your name," Mr. Mason replied patiently.

"Oh, uh… I'm Ian Gallagher."

Mickey's reaction to the name was so intense that it caught him completely off guard. It pumped him with life like oxygen and buzzed through his bloodstream like a drug. It was everything.

He couldn't explain why, but somehow it felt like coming home.

* * *

It seemed like no matter where he went, Mickey couldn't escape from Ian Gallagher. Not only were they in the same English class, but they also had Math and PE together. If Mickey had thought that being near him was hard at first, by the last period of the day it seemed almost impossible.

During PE, Mickey changed into his gym uniform as fast as humanly possible to avoid the sight of a half-naked Ian Gallagher in the locker room. At the rate he was going, there was _no_ way that he would make it through an entire semester without _someone_ finding out about his sexuality. But Mickey had managed to control it before, and he could do it again. He wasn't about to let it his thoughts get the best of him. He forced himself to imagine what his father would do to him if he found out, and that got him to cool down pretty quickly.

Mickey blamed his sudden obsession with Ian Gallagher on the fact that he hadn't gotten any quality dick in a while. He tried to convince himself that as soon as he got laid, things would return back to normal, but a bigger part of him knew that it wasn't going to be so easy. His feelings felt so much bigger than that.

Mickey vibrated with a need to reach out and touch Ian, just to connect their bodies in some way. It felt like something that he was _supposed_ to do, like it would solve some big question that needed to be answered.

He scowled and tore his eyes away from Ian, doing everything he could to focus his attention back on the teacher. He wanted to forget all about the scrawny, doe-eyed kid with green eyes and freckled skin… and a surprising amount of newly-developing muscles under his shirt… and hips that led all the way down to his…

Mickey forced himself to look away from Ian once again. He hadn't even realized that he'd gone back to staring. He was definitely doomed.

"Alright, then that just leaves you two." Ian and Mickey's heads both snapped up in shock when the teacher pointed toward both of them.

"Uh, leaves us for what?" Ian asked nervously.

"Well, if either of you had been paying any attention instead of staring off into space, you would've heard me tell everyone to split up into teams of two for the semester." The other students snickered at them for not listening.

Mickey cursed himself for being so reckless. He feigned indifference and trudged over to stand by Ian.

"So, uh… what's your name, again?" Ian asked Mickey, trying not to seem too eager to find out.

"Mickey Milkovich," he responded gruffly. Usually everyone recoiled when they heard his name, but Ian just smiled brightly like it was the best fucking thing that he'd ever heard.

"Like Mickey Mouse?" the redhead asked teasingly.

Mickey couldn't tell whether he wanted to punch the kid in the face or kiss him.


	3. Gravity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I promised you smut this chapter, but the truth is that the chapter was so long that I ended up splitting it in half. I will most likely post the next half tomorrow. Then you can have your smut! Sorry it's taken me so long. My finals are all due this week so I have been very busy.
> 
> Also, remember when I said this would be 9 chapters long? And then I said it would be 10? Well, now I am almost completely positive that I have actually planned everything now and it's going to be 13 chapters. Haha I just kept thinking of plot points that I think would make the story better. It's gonna be great.

It didn't take long for Mickey to realize that Ian was actually perfect. He'd never really liked talking to people outside of the family very much, but somehow Ian was different. They both clicked instantly.

During PE, their conversations were actually fun. They even had a similar lame sense of humor. For some reason, Ian wasn't intimidated by him like most other people were. He wasn't afraid to tease Mickey and call him out on his shit. He'd even gotten Mickey to blush once, and luckily he hadn't been stupid enough to point it out. He just sat back and smirked at Mickey knowingly. Ian always seemed like he knew exactly what Mickey was thinking, even though the older boy tried to hide it. It drove Mickey crazy, but secretly, he didn't hate it at all.

Mickey didn't like to admit it, even to himself, but he knew that his attachment to Ian was going to get him in trouble. It was one thing just to want to fuck someone based on their looks, but it was another thing entirely to actually like them for who they are as a person.

The weird attraction he felt for Ian reminded him of when he was younger. Just like back then, he was filled with happiness and dread all at the same time. Even the way Ian _felt_ seemed similar to his soulmate… but that was impossible. Mickey's string was gone. He didn't have a soulmate anymore.

He was safe. He _needed_ to believe that.

When Ian started talking to him in English class as well, Mickey finally realized that he needed to set up boundaries between them. He spotted Angie Zago sitting a couple seats over and got an idea.

"Hey, Angie," he shouted, loud enough for practically the entire class to hear. "Wanna fuck after school? I need to bang one out."

Angie shrugged. "Sure," she replied. She was famous on the South Side for how much she loved sex, and everyone knew that she was willing to fuck almost anyone who asked for it. Some people may have called her a slut like it was a bad thing, but Mickey thought that she was actually pretty cool. She knew what she liked and she went for it, without shame. A deep, dark part of Mickey envied her for that.

Ian watched the exchange between the two and turned away to hide his disappointment. He should have known better than to think that he had a chance with a Milkovich. He sighed and just accepted that whatever he thought was between them must have only been in his head. He'd already misunderstood things with Roger. He didn't want to mess things up with Mickey too.

Ian told himself that he was going to think of Mickey as only a friend from then on. Mickey cursed when his pinky began to sting again.

* * *

It seemed like whenever Mickey took a step back from Ian, the universe forced him two steps forward. He hadn't meant to follow the kid after school, honestly. They both just happened to be headed in the same direction.

Mickey hesitated when he realized that they'd actually been heading to the exact same place: a convenience store called the Kash and Grab. Mickey and his family always went there because the owner of the store was a pussy who let them steal whatever they wanted. Mickey's dad only had to smack the guy around a little bit _one_ time and then suddenly they got all their junk food for free. The place was a shithole, but for a family as poor as the Milkoviches, it was a blessing.

Mickey stopped in his tracks when he saw Ian walk into the store. If he went inside after him, then they would run into each other, and that kind of temptation was really something he didn't want to deal with in public. He pulled out a cigarette and sat down on the curb across the street, lighting up and waiting for the kid to leave.

He'd expected Ian to be in there for 10 minutes tops, but even after what seemed like forever, the redhead didn't come out. Instead, Mickey saw him take down the "Now Hiring" sign from the window.

Mickey didn't go inside, but he didn't leave either. He sat outside the store and watched, alone with his thoughts until the sky turned dark.

* * *

Mickey didn't avoid the Kash and Grab for very long. He was a Milkovich and that meant he was too proud to let the weird magnetism between him and Ian stop him from stealing shit wherever the fuck he wanted. He was just going to have to ignore the fact that he couldn't stop himself from imagining the new cashier fucking him into the nearest wall. He'd been pretending to be straight his _entire_ life; he could handle the temptation of being around some skinny, doe-eyed kid.

At least, that's what he thought.

Without realizing it, he actually started coming to the Kash and Grab even _more_ often than before. He knew that it was dangerous to indulge his little fantasy, but he couldn't help it. He was drawn toward Ian and went to the store whenever he was craving something "sweet." He stole Snickers bars, BBQ Pringles, and glances at Ian whenever he visited: all the things he knew that were bad for him.

Unfortunately, just like Mickey had predicted, stealing from the Kash and Grab every day came back to bite him in the ass. He and Ian had almost seemed like friends at first, but after Mickey started spending all of his time tormenting him at work, Ian started acting strangely. He seemed frustrated and colder toward Mickey somehow. The way that Mickey shamelessly bragged about banging Angie and all the other shit that he'd done, Mickey would've been more amazed if Ian _hadn't_ gotten pissed at him.

Nevertheless, Mickey didn't stop. It was like gravity was pulling him toward Ian, no matter how hard he tried to escape it. Every time he saw the younger boy, the weird urge inside of him built up more and more, threatening to eat him alive. He fucked girls, and even other more discardable, discreet guys, but nothing helped.

He wanted Ian, and it was only a matter of time before he couldn't hold back any longer.

* * *

Mickey knew Ian's work schedule by heart, so when he showed up to the store after hours on Tuesday, he knew that they would be alone. Ian's boss, Kash Karib, always had some sort of thing to do with his family on Tuesday nights, so he let Ian clean and close up the store on his own.

Ian glanced up from sweeping the floor when he heard the door chime open and didn't even look surprised when he saw Mickey walking in.

"You _do_ realize the store is closed now, right?" he asked sarcastically. He went back to cleaning, barely paying Mickey any attention.

He expected Mickey to steal something and then just leave. Like his boss had told him, it was better to just let Mickey take a few things than to make a big deal out of it. Ian still got paid the same no matter what was stolen anyway, so he didn't care _that_ much.

Mickey smirked at him. "Yeah, I know," he said.

Then, he did something that surprised both of them. He turned around and locked the front door behind him.


	4. Connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, just like I promised! Enjoy your smut! Please let me know what you think~ Comments help me write faster. ;D

As soon as Ian heard the front door lock in place, his head snapped back up in alarm. "What the fuck are you doing?" he growled. "We're _closed_."

" _Relax_. I'm not here for the store." Mickey grinned teasingly and jerked his head toward the back room. "You comin' or not?" He didn't wait for Ian to follow him.

Ian watched Mickey pass him by in fascination. He wasn't sure what was happening, but it was better not to get his hopes up. He'd promised himself that he would act colder toward Mickey, and he was doing everything he could to put up friendly boundaries between them. Mickey was probably just trying to sell him drugs or something. Ian hesitantly decided to follow him, too intrigued to argue.

The air between them crackled like a warm, comforting fire, and they were both drawn in like moths. Neither one of them had the ability to think rationally anymore. They just wanted to spend time with each other and that's all that mattered.

Mickey had a personal rule never to seduce a guy that he wasn't completely sure was into other guys, but any plans that he'd had to determine Ian's sexuality were forgotten. Mickey'd always imagined himself being more careful and aloof if he ever started anything between them. Maybe he'd pull out a joint to get Ian to loosen up, and he could use the drugs as an excuse in case anything went wrong. In reality, he was a lot more desperate.

As soon as Ian walked into the room, Mickey closed the door and pushed the redhead against it. Ian reacted automatically, turning Mickey around and pinning him face-first against the door instead.

Mickey laughed back at Ian in pleasant surprise. "You got moves, huh, firecrotch?" he teased. He'd always thought that Ian kind of looked like a weakling. The taller boy's surprising strength only turned him on even more, clouding his judgment.

In fact, there was something about being pressed up against each other that was so devastatingly satisfying for the both of them. It was like shooting waves of pleasure emanated from where they were touching, and it ran up their arms to echo throughout the rest of their body. They both breathed heavily and leaned against each other, not wanting to move.

After a long moment, Ian finally forced himself to let Mickey go, frowning in confusion. "What the fuck do you _want_ from me?" he asked quietly. They both stared at each other, but Mickey said nothing. The real answer to that question was deeper than either of them knew.

Instead, Mickey looked Ian up and down silently, his tongue darting out to lick his lower lip in arousal. Without any warning, he grabbed for Ian's belt and began fumbling to take it off.

Ian's eyes widened in amazement, but he only hesitated for a second before he was helping Mickey get undressed too. As soon as they were both naked and Ian saw Mickey's erection, he knew that he hadn't been imagining things after all. Something had definitely been happening between them ever since that first day of school.

After that realization, Ian was suddenly filled with renewed energy. He shoved Mickey hard against the door and attacked his neck with bites and kisses. Mickey groaned and sighed contently, running his hands over every inch of Ian that he could touch. He loved how rough the other boy was being. It was everything he'd imagined and more.

Ian angled his hips to grind their crotches together, practically lifting Mickey as he rubbed up against him. Mickey gasped and his head fell back, grunting in approval. Ian took advantage of the moment to slowly kiss up the newly exposed skin on Mickey's neck, over his chin and toward his mouth. Mickey realized what Ian was planning to do and he pulled away suddenly.

"You got lube?" he asked. Mickey's eyes flickered down to Ian's cock and he bit his lip, practically drooling with how much he wanted it. "That whole thing isn't gonna fit in me without it."

Ian was momentarily surprised that Mickey was demanding to be the one on bottom, but he certainly wasn't complaining. "Yeah," he answered. "Hold on." He stepped away from Mickey and rifled through his pants pocket. He pulled out a condom and some lube.

Mickey's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't been expecting Ian to have the stuff so close by. "Well, aren't _you_ the prepared little boy scout."

Ian shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. "You never know when you might need it."

The two of them made their way over to some sturdy-looking boxes, and Mickey lay out across them eagerly. "Give me the lube," he demanded. "I'll do it."

"Nah, I got it," Ian said with a grin. He opened the bottle and covered his fingers in the cool liquid. "Sit back and relax."

Mickey'd never had someone take the time to properly stretch him out before, so when Ian slid a wet finger inside of him, it felt strange. Mickey lifted his legs a little higher and closed his eyes. Despite how good it felt, it was a bit awkward.

Ian smiled up at Mickey, charmed by this new side of him that he'd never seen before. He poured more lube, and then slid in another finger. He took his time and scissored them apart before sliding in another one. Like Mickey'd said, he definitely needed to be stretched thoroughly before Ian's big dick could fit inside of him.

Mickey wasn't so patient, however. "Hurry up," he whined. "Come on, just get on me."

Ian nodded in agreement. Feeling the tightness of Mickey around his fingers had made him just as impatient. He tore open the condom package and rolled the rubber onto himself carefully. Mickey watched him, eyes glazed over with lust. Normally he hated fucking people face to face, but he'd been so distracted by the view that he hadn't even thought about turning over.

When Ian was sure that they were both ready, he scooted closer and positioned his cock against Mickey's hole. He looked up at the brunette one last time, but when he heard no objection, he finally pressed himself inside. Mickey's body put up very little resistance, and Ian sunk into him easily.

Shivers ran through the both of them, and it felt like fireworks were going off under their skin. They'd both had sex plenty of times before, but it had never felt so good. Just by joining their bodies together, they felt complete, like a part of them wasn't missing anymore. For the first time in a very long time, they felt connected to something important and safe. It was more than a little overwhelming.

Ian stilled his hips, trying to give Mickey time to adjust, but Mickey was uncomfortable with taking it so slowly. It gave him time to actually _think_ about his emotions, and nothing made him more uneasy than being faced with the feeling of safety. He tried his best to ignore it and moved against Ian impatiently.

" _Move_ , Gallagher. Fuck," he grumbled. That was all he needed to say.

Without any warning, Ian slammed into Mickey brutally, practically making the shorter boy lose his breath with the force of it. He gripped Mickey's hips tightly, hard enough to bruise, and pulled his body back and forth onto his cock. His hips jerked forward into Mickey's tight heat with sharp, deep thrusts. Mickey had to close his eyes and bite his lip to keep himself under control.

Ian didn't bother to go easy on Mickey. He slammed into him roughly and buried his entire cock as far as it would go each time, pounding into him like an animal. Ian's dick was one of the biggest that Mickey had ever seen. It speared Mickey open, stretching him in the most perfect way. When Ian rubbed up against his prostate, he couldn't keep his eyes from rolling into the back of his head.

Mickey didn't even bother hiding just how turned on he actually was. His cock lay erect on his stomach, bouncing with every movement and leaking precum. Ian watched transfixed, as Mickey grabbed it and stroked himself. It was so hot and alluring that Ian couldn't resist leaning closer.

The redhead moved his hands up to support himself against the boxes, trapping Mickey underneath him as he hovered above. He sunk his teeth into Mickey's neck, marking him with dark, possessive spots. Mickey felt like he was going crazy as Ian jackhammered into him unceasingly. He was practically sobbing at how good it felt.

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Mickey groaned. Ian just smiled. No matter how much Mickey cried out, he continued on undaunted.

However, Mickey was anything but submissive. He moved back against Ian with everything he had, slapping their skin together loudly. Ian laughed against his neck. He loved how aggressive Mickey was. Even in such a vulnerable position, Mickey never stopped fighting back. It was like a game, and Ian didn't care who won, as long as he got to play.

Mickey wrapped his legs around Ian's hips, bringing him in even closer. Ian buried his head against Mickey's shoulder, pressing their chests together. Neither one of them had ever really felt so close to another person before. Ian's whole body felt warm and right above Mickey, protecting him from everything that he'd been afraid of his entire life. He felt like he belonged there in Ian's arms. Nothing was going to hurt him.

He grabbed Ian and raked his nails down his back, scratching him. He'd always had a habit of hurting the things that he loved the most. Still, Ian grunted with pleasure and leaned into Mickey's touch anyway. Every little thing that Mickey did, no matter how violent, always had him wanting more.

Ian used all of his weight to bounce his body down into Mickey, using gravity to piston into him even deeper. He turned his head to watch Mickey's reaction to every movement and listened to his every little gasp and moan. He'd never heard such arousing sounds before.

Both of them were getting close, ready to explode.

"I'm gonna…" Mickey huffed out in warning.

"Me too," Ian replied breathily.

After a few more frantic thrusts against each other, it finally happened. They both saw stars as they came together. Mickey bit his already swollen lips to stifle a loud exclamation of pleasure threatening to break free. His own semen shot out onto his chest as Ian's warm cock twitched and ejaculated inside of him.

The whole world stopped and was nothing but happiness for one small moment. Mickey let out a small noise of complaint when Ian finally pulled out of him.

Ian rolled over to lie next to Mickey on the boxes, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath. They could both barely believe what had just happened. It was more than either of them had even fantasized about.

"God _damn_ , Gallagher," Mickey exhaled in amazement. "Who knew a scrawny little kid like you could _fuck_ like that?" He sat up, feeling the world spin a little. His whole body buzzed, and he felt more relaxed than ever before.

Ian smirked. "Haha," he mock laughed. "You don't exactly come off as good at sex either, you know."

Mickey let out a carefree laugh that sounded unfamiliar to his own ears. He couldn't remember ever feeling so happy and fulfilled.

Ian's eyes flickered down to the rare smile on Mickey's face, and he felt it drawing him in, tantalizing him. He sat up, unable to hold back anymore. Finally, he leaned over and tried to press a kiss against Mickey's lips. It took all the effort Mickey had to pull away just in time.

Ian frowned in confusion, looking like a kicked puppy dog. "Don't you feel it too?" he asked.

Mickey's heart sank in his chest. He knew exactly what Ian was talking about. He had hoped that the powerful attraction between them was just something that he'd imagined by himself, or something that would go away. Finding out that he wasn't the only one who felt it was too much for him to handle at the moment.

He raised his eyebrows at Ian, faking ignorance. Admitting it out loud required him to admit it to himself first, and he wasn't ready for that yet. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he growled.

Ian started to look doubtful. "There's something between us," he insisted weakly. "I thought… you felt it too. Isn't that why you came here?"

Mickey sighed. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear: this means _nothing_. We're not even friends, alright?" Mickey looked away, hating the disappointment that spread across Ian's face. "I needed to get off. That's it."

Ian deflated slightly, but he didn't argue. Of _course_ Mickey couldn't feel it. He probably had his own soulmate out there somewhere. Just being _near_ Mickey had been more intense than anything he'd ever felt for Roger, but maybe the situation was the same after all. Maybe Ian had fallen for yet another guy that belonged to someone else.

Mickey sighed, hating to see Ian look so upset. Without thinking, he spoke again. "But maybe if you can keep your mouth shut then… I guess we can have some more fun."

Mickey's face slowly brightened into a smirk. Ian smiled right along with him, instantly smitten by his teasing.

He nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to keep messing around with Mickey. Ian was sure that he was going to get his heart broken eventually. Nevertheless, he had a feeling that it was all going to be worth it in the end.


	5. Hush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's taken me so long to write this chapter. My finals are finally over, and now it's time to pack all my things and get all my last minute travel in before I come back home! My study abroad program is almost over… it's a bit sad. Only around 9 days until I go back home, but that entire time I will probably be really busy so the next chapter will probably be late too. I'm sorry!

Ian wasn't exactly subtle about his feelings for Mickey at school the next day. He practically had hearts in his eyes as he sighed and stared at him in class like a lovesick schoolgirl. Mickey did his best to ignore him, but that was sort of difficult when Ian's seat was the one directly in front of his.

He cursed himself for not being able to stop thinking about Ian. He'd thought that fucking him would settle things, but it actually made the situation even worse. That strange pulling sensation between them had been joined with a life-nourishing sense of belonging. Mickey had never felt anything so satisfying before in his life. He was already itching to get Ian inside of him again. As much as he hated to admit it, he actually kind of _liked_ the way that Ian pined after him.

If only he wasn't go goddamn obvious about it.

Mickey left first period glad that no one seemed to have caught on yet, but of course, it was impossible for someone like Mickey to have good luck for very long. That became clear when he and his sister, Mandy, walked out of their second period History class together and happened to run across Ian in the hallway.

The redhead practically broke his neck to keep his eyes on Mickey as he passed by. He flashed Mickey a shy, friendly smile when he noticed the other boy staring back at him. Mickey looked away quickly, trying to keep his face as blank and detached as possible. Ian just grinned even wider and disappeared into their next classroom.

Mandy raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she had just seen. "Do you know that guy?" she asked curiously.

Mickey shrugged. "He's in a few of my classes."

Mandy wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Well, he was _staring_ at you," she pointed out.

"Probably just lookin' to score or something," he lied. Mandy seemed to fall for it. _Everyone_ knew about the Milkovich family business, so suddenly getting requests from strangers wasn't that uncommon.

"He's cute," Mandy continued, batting her eyelashes. "What's his name?"

Mickey rolled his eyes at her in disgust. "How the fuck should _I_ know?"

He stomped away from her, following Ian into their next classroom for third period Math. Mandy trailed behind him and curiously looked through the doorway, eyeing the redhead and carefully sizing him up. He was definitely hot, there was no denying it.

Mandy smirked as she finally came to a decision. Ian Gallagher didn't stand a chance.

* * *

"Mr. Gallagher!" Ian snapped back to reality as his math teacher, Ms. Simmons, yelled at him from the front of the room.

"Huh?" he shouted in response.

"Maybe your grades would be a little better if you actually paid as much attention to the board as the back of Mr. Milkovich's head!" Ms. Simmons grumbled.

Mickey's eyes flew open wide and he whipped around to shoot a warning glare back at the boy several rows behind him.

"You two having some sort of fight?" Ms. Simmons asked, determined to embarrass them into paying more attention in the future. "A squabble over a girl, perhaps?"

Mickey snorted at the absurdity. "The asshole needs to learn how to keep his fuckin' mouth shut is all," he growled. Ian immediately understood the indirect warning, and he knew that he had to try harder to cool off around Mickey in public.

Ian looked sheepish. "Sorry," he mumbled sullenly. The teacher smiled, mistaking it as an apology toward her for Mickey's language.

"Well…" Suddenly Ms. Simmons smirked widely. "I have just the solution. Since Mr. Milkovich has a talent for math but doesn't try, and Mr. Gallagher tries but has none of the natural talent, why don't you two work out your differences in tutoring?"

The whole class burst out laughing.

Mickey grimaced. "You must be fucking joking," he sighed with irritation.

"Language!" she snapped. "It's either tutoring in this room once a week or detention every day for a month. Which would you prefer?"

"I'm fine with tutoring," Ian said immediately.

Mickey wasn't so compliant. He opened his mouth to say something obscene, but he quickly shut it. He always had a talent for making things worse.

Finally, he looked from Ian to the teacher and sighed in defeat. At least tutoring would give him an excuse for hanging out with Gallagher all the time.

"Alright, fine. Whatever," he muttered.

Ms. Simmons grinned in victory.

* * *

The truth was, Ms. Simmons was a very busy woman, so she didn't even have time to chaperone Ian and Mickey's tutoring sessions for an hour and a half every Wednesday night. She made them check in and check out with her in her office, but otherwise, they had the entire classroom to themselves. She warned them that she would come back to check on them often, but they both knew an empty threat when they heard one.

Mickey hadn't planned on actually studying at all, so he was surprised when Ian opened his textbook.

"You seriously gonna waste your time with this shit?" Mickey asked disbelievingly.

"I _gotta_ study. I wanna be an officer in the army someday," Ian explained. "Maybe even get into West Point. I haven't decided yet."

"An officer, huh?" Mickey laughed. "Don't they get shot first?"

"It's better than staying here and dealing with my parents every fucking day," Ian grumbled.

"Frank and Monica Gallagher, right?" Mickey asked, faking disinterest as he picked at the dirt under his thumbnail. "They're regular customers with my dad."

"That sounds about right," Ian muttered. "They're always fucked up on _something_ , arguing and beating the shit out of each other. Then, they make up just long enough for my mom to get knocked up, she pops out another mouth to feed, and then the cycle continues."

Mickey laughed but didn't make any sort of comment. He couldn't imagine a life like that, without a close-knit family all looking out for each other. The Milkoviches were a pack, always together. The Gallagher siblings stuck up for each other sometimes, but for the most part, they were broken.

Ian sighed. "I signed up for ROTC just to get out of the house, but I actually ended up liking it. I don't expect you to actually tutor me or anything, but that's why I gotta study." He looked down at his textbook and grimaced. "I suck at math though. English is my strong point. I might even try to test out of it next time, so I can actually focus more on learning _this_ shit." He sighed, drumming his pencil on the worksheet he'd brought to work on.

Mickey would never mention it out loud, but he was actually impressed. He'd never seen a South Side kid so determined to actually get away from the shit in his life. Mickey had never believed that people like them could ever be anything but fucked, but when he listened to Ian talk, he could actually imagine him getting out of there and following his dreams.

Ian stopped talking and concentrated on studying. He figured that Mickey didn't wanna hear about his future plans and shit anyway. He assumed that Mickey had occupied his mind with something else, so he was surprised when Mickey suddenly spoke up a couple minutes later.

"Wrong order, man. You gotta multiply before you subtract," he said.

Ian's eyes widened, but he didn't tease Mickey at all. Instead, he did as he was told and re-worked the problem. He hadn't realized that Mickey could be so book smart. He felt like he'd just learned about yet another side of Mickey that was hidden from the world. Every time he peeled back a layer, there was another one, like an onion. Every new side of Mickey that Ian saw attracted him more and more. He was growing completely infatuated.

Mickey silently scanned all of Ian's work, never saying a word unless he made a mistake. Before either of them realized it, they'd completely finished the worksheet.

"Wow, Mick. You're really good at this stuff," Ian praised, beaming at him happily. "Thanks a lot. I actually get it now, I think."

Mickey sniffed and looked away. "Don't be such a fuckin' pussy about it," he murmured. Ian smiled, realizing that was his way of saying 'you're welcome.'

Ian was suddenly hit with a yearning to tell Mickey 'thank you' in a way that he would understand. He looked at the clock. They still had another half hour until they were supposed to leave. He looked back at Mickey and smirked impishly. Without hesitating another second, he slid down to the floor underneath the table.

"The fuck are you doing?" Mickey hissed.

"Thanking you for your help," Ian explained in a low voice. He unzipped Mickey's pants and pushed them down just enough to bring Mickey's cock into full view.

Mickey watched his every movement, eyes shining in awe. He grew hard in record time as Ian wrapped a hand around him and pumped him up and down.

Once Mickey was hard enough, Ian wasted no time guiding the pulsing dick into his mouth. He wrapped his lips around the head, using his tongue to lap up the precum gathered there already, but he didn't give attention to the sensitive tip for very long. Instead, he quickly swallowed down as much of Mickey as he could, covering his entire cock in wet warmth that had the Milkovich squirming in his seat.

Ian bobbed his head up and down around the organ, developing a rhythm. He slurped and drooled as he sucked around it with fervor. He flattened his tongue, trying to make as much room in his mouth as possible. Mickey was amazed at Ian's cock sucking technique. The kid had _definitely_ done this before.

Mickey tried his best to keep from moaning out loud, knowing all too well that they were still in school and they could get caught so easily.

" _Fuckkk_ ," he groaned in a shaky voice as Ian gulped him down especially deep. "Can you… fuckin'… shut the fuck up with the noises a little? They can… ugh… probably hear you sucking my cock all the… the way down the goddamn hall."

Ian didn't bother to argue. He looked up at Mickey and grinned, his mouth still full of cock. He slowed down the pace a little, focusing on licking rather than sucking so that his lips didn't smack so loudly against Mickey's skin.

Mickey immediately cursed himself for making Ian slow down. He moved his hips forward a little, never wanting to leave that delicious heat around him. He breathed unevenly, feeling his release building up more and more. Ian was driving him crazy, and it was all he could do not to grab Ian's hair and fuck his face raw.

Ian was also getting hard in his own pants, but he made no move to touch himself. There was no time for that. The time was ticking away and the teacher would get suspicious if they stayed even a minute longer than the assigned time.

To get Mickey to cum sooner, Ian massaged his hands over every stretch of skin he couldn't fit into his mouth. He rubbed over Mickey's inner thighs and even his balls, memorizing every spot that Mickey liked for later.

Mickey was looking more wrecked than ever, and Ian could tell that he was about to cum by the way his dick twitched in his throat. The younger boy suctioned his lips around Mickey one last time, and then just liked he'd predicted, that was all it took.

Mickey shuddered and grabbed a fistful of Ian's hair as his cum shot all the way to the back of Ian's throat. Ian relaxed his jaw and took it all, swallowing every last drop.

Mickey sighed and his mind went hazy as he slowly came down from his high. Once Ian had cleaned off every bit of cum, his cock fell from Ian's mouth with a quiet pop.

Ian stared up at Mickey, licking his swollen lips. When Mickey's eyes fluttered open, he stared back, not saying a word. Just like many times before, there was a kind of familiar warmth that seemed to pull them together. As they looked at each other, it felt like a silent moment of understanding passed between them.

Ian could've _sworn_ that Mickey must have felt it too.

He leaned over to press a kiss against Mickey's inner thigh. The action was the closest that Mickey would let him get to an actual kiss. Mickey didn't comment on the strange little show of affection, too blissed out to argue and too distracted to think about the reality of the danger they were in, for the moment.

Mickey hadn't realized it yet, but his pinky hadn't hurt for the longest time since he was young. It was like the scar he'd made was beginning to heal.


	6. Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait. Getting re-adjusted to life in America is proving to be more than I expected. Haha But I am definitely working on more! In the next chapter, Ian's finally going to start getting curious about Mickey's view of soulmates!

As much as Mickey tried to pretend that they weren't attracted to each other, somehow the pull always seemed to have its way. Even when Mickey did his best to avoid Ian, they would still run into each other on the street or get randomly thrown together somehow. It became clear that it was impossible for them to stay away from each other for very long, and honestly, Mickey didn't really want to. Despite his insistence that he and Ian weren't friends, that's exactly what they became.

Before either one of them had realized it, they actually ended up spending most of their time together, even after school. It started out as just sex. They'd hook up at the Kash and Grab or any other place that they could think of. Anytime they knew they'd be alone, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Mickey hid his feelings as best as he could, but there was no way he could hide how much he loved getting fucked by Ian. He was always the first one to initiate their hookups. He eagerly bent over and took everything that Ian gave him with a look of complete satisfaction on his face.

Despite all the signs to the contrary, Ian still had a nagging feeling that Mickey really cared about him. It was much more than that warm feeling of belonging he always got around Mickey. As time passed, Mickey began to act different. More and more, Ian saw signs of something else lurking beneath his cold exterior. Their time together became more than just sex. They'd help each other study or they'd play video games. Sometimes Mickey even helped Ian with his ROTC training.

Mickey was a little hesitant about it at first, but eventually he even let Ian crash at his house sometimes. Ian's parents had been getting more and more violent, and for some reason, out of all of his children, Frank Gallagher seemed to have it out for Ian in particular. The first time Mickey saw the younger boy come to school covered in bruises, his blood boiled. Ian never found out about it, but right after that, Mickey paid a couple of his brothers to beat the shit out of the drunken, useless sack of shit Ian called a father as retribution.

Whenever Ian came over, they didn't fool around very much. Mickey was deathly afraid of his homophobic father catching them in the act. Ian didn't mind, though. It was actually pretty nice to hang out with Mickey as "friends" and see what life was like for him at home. The Milkovich house was nothing like what he was used to. Even though the Milkoviches all stuck together, Ian felt none of the warmth between them that he and his siblings shared. The only one that Mickey even seemed to like very much was his younger sister.

Mandy Milkovich was the only girl in a house surrounded by brothers. She learned early in life how to be rough and crude just like them, but she was also really pretty and knew how to use both to her advantage. As soon as Ian met her, he instantly knew that he was going to like her. She acted tough, but Ian suspected that there was a softer side hidden in there somewhere, just like with Mickey.

All three of them sat in the living room, playing X-Box. After winning another round, Mickey shoved his controller into Ian's hands.

"You take over," he said. "I'm fuckin' starving. Want me to make pizza rolls?"

"Yeah, sure," Ian replied with a shrug.

"As long as you don't fuckin' burn 'em this time," Mandy grumbled.

"Never said I was makin' any for _you_ , bitch," Mickey snorted back. He flipped her off as he walked toward the kitchen, so she shoved him with her foot. Ian smiled at them both. They may not have said it aloud very often, but he could definitely tell how much they cared about each other.

Mandy turned back to the game. "Which level you wanna do next?" she asked, flipping through all the options.

"Uhh…" Just as Ian was about to look back at the TV, his eyes caught a glimpse of something else. Since Mandy was sitting down, her skirt had hiked up a bit higher than normal. It revealed a few dark, fingerprint-shaped bruises just under the flap of her skirt. "What is _that_?" Ian asked quietly, eyebrow furrowing in concern.

Mandy looked down and flattened her skirt a bit awkwardly. "My fuckin' brothers probably did that a couple days ago when they pinned me down and dangled spit over my face," she grumbled.

That definitely sounded like something the Milkovich brothers would do, but for some reason, Ian didn't quite believe her. There was something about the look in her eyes that told him the truth was a lot deeper than that. He opened his mouth to insist that she could trust him, but she interrupted him before he could.

"You wanna try _this_ one? It's a little hard, but we've probably leveled up enough by now." She kept her eyes glued to the TV screen, not wanting to risk looking him in the eye.

Ian finally sighed. "Alright," he said. "Just as long as you're okay."

Mandy finally tore her eyes away from the screen and stared at him in confusion. She hadn't expected him to care so much. No one had _ever_ seemed to care about her that much, really. Being a Milkovich, she got hurt all the time. People just expected it. But Ian was different. He _really_ cared.

She looked him up and down, a mischievous smile spreading across her face. Ian didn't even notice.

"So _what_ were you saying about a hard level?" he asked with a warm smile. "I'm _so_ ready to…"

Suddenly, Mandy threw her controller down and scooted closer to Ian. She swung her leg over his and straddled him before he even realized what was happening.

"M-Mandy!" he screeched, his voice cracking a little in surprise. "W-What're you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she giggled, pushing her boobs into his chest and pinning him to the back of the couch.

"Well, yeah, but… Mandy, I don't think this is a good idea," he stammered, trying his best to push her off without offending or hurting her.

"Don't worry," she laughed. "I know we're not soulmates or anything, but I've got a condom, so it's okay to have a little fun. We can go to my room if you're shy."

"That's… uh… great and all Mandy, but I..." Ian had no idea what to say to her. All he could think about was the fact that Mickey could walk in at any moment and get the wrong idea.

Mandy leaned in closer. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Ian didn't know what else to do. He panicked.

"I'm gay!" he shouted.

Mandy took a moment to process what she'd just heard before pulling back with a frown. "… what?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're really pretty and a great friend, Mandy, but I just… I'm not _wired_ that way. Sorry." Ian stumbled over his words, hoping like hell that she wasn't homophobic like her father.

As soon as Mandy realized that he wasn't joking, she sighed. "Oh… okay," she said, sounding a bit disappointed but otherwise unaffected. "So your soulmate's a guy?"

Ian didn't feel like telling her that he didn't have one anymore. Lately, because of Mickey, sometimes even _he_ forgot about that little fact. "Yeah... yeah he is," he whispered.

"Does my brother know?" Mandy asked suddenly, eyeing the doorway.

Ian hesitated. He knew that Mickey would kill him if he admitted the truth so he shook his head. "No. Please don't tell him."

Mandy nodded in understanding. "Yeah, my brothers are all jerks when it comes to that kinda thing. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Ian grinned. "Thanks, Mandy," he said, sighing in relief.

Mandy smiled widely. "If anyone _ever_ gives you shit, I got your back."

Ian laughed. "I have no doubt."

"What the fuck?!" They both turned their heads to see that Mickey had finally walked back into the room.

Mandy hadn't even realized that she was still sitting on top of Ian, but Mickey definitely had. He looked pissed. "Are you fuckin' _serious_?" he growled. "I leave for only a couple goddamn minutes, I come back and you're dry humping my _friend_? You fuckin' _skank_!"

Ian's eyes widened in amazement. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard Mickey call him. He smiled a large, dopey smile.

Mandy rolled her eyes and slid off of Ian. "Asshole," she muttered. "He's my friend too, you know."

Mickey shot her a dirty look. "You _wish_ ," he grumbled. "Come on, Gallagher. Let's go to _my_ room so this bitch can take her mind off dick for a few _fuckin'_ minutes."

Mandy rolled her eyes at them, but didn't argue. She turned to continue playing her game.

"Alright. Later, Mandy." Ian said as he followed her brother back to his room. She smiled back at him, and they both knew that they needed to hang out one-on-one more often.

As soon as Mickey shoved Ian into his room and slammed the door behind them, he pushed Ian against the wall and started unbuckling his pants. "We've got about an hour before my dad gets home," he said quietly, a playful smile spreading across his face.

Ian bit his lip, but couldn't hold back his own goofy smile. He hadn't been able to stop feeling giddy ever since Mickey had let his true feelings slip.

It was official: they were friends. Friends who sucked each other's dicks.

That was better than nothing.


	7. Slower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this makes up for all the waiting I put you through before! I am planning on taking part in the Shameless Femslash week so it may be a little bit before the next update.

Once Ian had gotten a taste of what friendship with Mickey was like, he started to crave more. Below the surface, they got closer and their feelings for each other grew stronger than ever, but Mickey refused to let that show. Even between the two of them when they were alone, Mickey never admitted to feeling anything at all for the redhead. It started to feel like they would never be anything other than friends with benefits.

It was frustrating for Ian, because he was seriously starting to fall in _love_ with Mickey.

Ian tried not to think of what had happened to him before with Roger. He couldn't explain why, but he knew that he and Mickey were different. Something in his body reacted differently to Mickey, and honestly, it almost made him believe that they were like soulmates.

But maybe Mickey didn't feel that way. He probably had his own soulmate, right? Ian sighed. As the days passed by, he felt himself _needing_ to know more and more.

Morning light streamed in from the windows, and Ian kissed every inch of Mickey's skin that he was allowed. Mickey's dad was out of town, and most of his siblings were all busy, so he'd allowed Ian to stay over and fuck him all night.

They'd already fucked again that morning, and Ian basked in the afterglow. He wanted so badly to kiss Mickey's lips. He wanted to feel some kind of response from him, some kind of compromise.

But he knew Mickey too well, and he knew that wasn't going to happen.

"What time do you need me to leave?" Ian asked, breaking the silence.

"No one's coming home until dinnertime, probably," Mickey answered with a shrug. "You can stay as long as you want."

"Thanks," Ian whispered against Mickey's skin. "Monica's acting depressed again, and I just can't…"

"I know," Mickey replied, looking up and locking eyes with him. A short moment of understanding seemed to pass between them before Mickey's gaze quickly flickered elsewhere. Ian leaned down and bit into Mickey's collarbone, trying to keep his mouth occupied from saying the words that he really wanted to say.

Mickey grunted lowly and leaned back. "Wanna go another round?" he asked with a small smile.

Ian nodded against him, smiling back. "Uh huh," he sighed blissfully.

Mickey brought a hand down to wrap around Ian's cock and jerked him up and down lazily, but it was hardly necessary. It didn't take much for Ian to get hard again.

While Mickey touched him, Ian reached over to the bedside table and felt around for a new condom. Once he was hard enough, he opened the package and rolled it on carefully. Mickey watched him with lust-filled eyes.

"Ready?" Ian asked Mickey when he was done.

Mickey nodded eagerly and turned over, lying down on his stomach.

Ian grinned and smacked his ass teasingly. Mickey closed his eyes and bit his lip, instinctively spreading his legs.

Ian climbed over Mickey and lay down almost completely on top of him. He grabbed his own dick and pushed it into Mickey's hole. Mickey was still stretched out from before, so Ian sank into him again easily.

After a short moment of adjustment, Ian buried his face in the crook of Mickey's neck and slowly began to move his hips. They both preferred to fuck fast and hard, but something about that morning made the two of them want to savor the moment. They moved against each other slowly, almost sensually. Neither one of them had felt anything like it before.

Mickey loved it when Ian took him from behind, and he loved it even more when he felt all of Ian's weight on top of him, holding him down. It made him feel dominated and owned in a way, but it also felt like he was being protected and kept safe from harm. None of the bad shit in his life could reach him anymore in Ian's arms.

His mind floated away, and he lost the ability to have any concrete thoughts. All he could feel was Ian.

The younger boy panted heavily into Mickey's ear. They were so close that Mickey could hear every little sigh and moan that Ian let out underneath his breath. Ian was usually pretty quiet when they fucked, and Mickey was the loud one in comparison, but this time Mickey was able to hear every little sound and feel every hard muscle against him. All of his senses were completely overwhelmed by the man above him.

Ian moved lazily against him, barely pulling out or thrusting back in. He humped Mickey into the mattress just subtly enough to push them both toward the edge little by little.

Mickey squirmed a bit in impatience when he felt himself getting closer to the end. He was ready for more, but even though Ian knew that, he didn't give in. He continued to move against Mickey at a tantalizingly relaxed pace.

" _Gallagher_ ," Mickey practically begged.

"Hn?" Ian replied teasingly, pretending like he didn't know exactly what Mickey wanted.

" _Fuck_ me," Mickey commanded. His voice wavered and sounded less authoritative than he'd meant it to. "C'mon... _harder_."

Ian grinned and pulled them both up a bit until Mickey was on his hands and knees so that he could have better control. Then finally, after an agonizing wait, he rewarded Mickey by pounding into him harder and deeper. He used his hands to push against the bed, bouncing his whole body forward into Mickey and jabbing his cock against the older boy's prostate each time.

Mickey moaned loudly, his whole body shuddering in ecstasy. His hand immediately flew toward his own dick to jerk himself off.

Ian felt himself getting closer to the edge as well. Instinctively, he chomped down on Mickey's neck, making the smaller boy feel like a large animal was overpowering him and claiming him as its own. His mouth hung open and he was practically drooling as Ian rutted against him. There was no way he was going to last very much longer.

The need to cum built up more and more...

After a few more frantic thrusts back against Ian, Mickey's cum shot out into his own hand. Ian felt Mickey tightening around him and shuddered, his own orgasm not far behind.

All thought was wiped away as they saw white.

Drained of all energy, they finally collapsed against each other. A serene moment of silence passed between them, and all that either of them could hear was the sound of their own rapidly beating heart.

Mickey was the first one to get up. He rolled over to the edge of the bed and grabbed a cigarette. "Want one?" he asked.

Ian shook his head. "Nah, I'm good," he answered. He carefully took off the condom and threw it away before collapsing back onto the bed. He was exhausted.

He looked up at Mickey through tired, lidded eyes. Maybe it was the way that Mickey looked in the sunlight, or maybe it was the fact that he'd just had the best morning sex of his life. Ian wasn't sure what had suddenly come over him. All he knew was that he couldn't hold it back anymore. Without thinking, Ian finally said the one thing that he'd been aching to ask for a long time: "Mick, what's your soulmate like?"

Mickey's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, taken aback. "Where the fuck did that come from?" Even though Mickey tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, just like with his sister, Ian could immediately tell that Mickey was uncomfortable.

"Your soulmate," Ian repeated. "Are they a boy or a girl? Do they live far away or have you just not run into each other yet?"

Mickey stared at Ian incredulously. "You must be joking."

"Come on, Mick," Ian insisted. "I wanna know."

"No. I'm not fucking doing this," Mickey grumbled. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth and got up to shimmy on a pair of pants. The afterglow was over.

"Why the fuck not?" Ian asked, desperation in his voice.

"Soulmates don't fucking _matter_ ," Mickey laughed derisively. "They're bullshit."

Ian frowned. He'd never heard anyone say that before. Even if some people didn't like the idea of their soulmate at first, it was a universal understanding that soulmates were _important_ and something that couldn't be ignored. "What the fuck do you mean, they're bullshit? Don't you _feel_ the pull?"

" _Fuck_ the pull. I make my own goddamn decisions. I don't need 'fate' telling me what the fuck to do," Mickey growled.

"You can't fight it," Ian argued. "Even if you could, what are you planning on doing? You gonna just let your soulmate stay alone forever?"

"Not my fucking problem," Mickey barked back. He never let himself think about the soulmate he'd torn himself away from. It was easier not to deal with the guilt.

Ian's mouth hung open in shock for a second, and it was hard not to be furious. He knew what it was like to be alone, without a soulmate. To have someone do that to you willingly, that was just too cruel.

"You getting hungry?" Mickey asked, trying to change the subject. "We got pancakes."

"Yeah, sure," Ian mumbled. He wasn't sure how to feel as Mickey walked away, leaving him completely alone.

As soon as Mickey was out of sight, the brunette hissed in pain. His pinky throbbed, aching for the first time in months.


	8. Frustrated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I didn't plan for smut to be in this chapter. Haha But I couldn't resist the chance to write locker room sex. Also, Mickey's finally starting to really want to kiss Ian. Things are reaching the breaking point!

"Milkovich, get your head in the game!" Coach Wright shouted. Mickey flipped him off and shoved over a kid on the opposing team as he stomped past.

He hated PE. It used to be his favorite subject, but then he was forced to be partners with Ian Gallagher every week. He spent most of the class completely frustrated, trying not to stare at the athletic redhead working up a sweat. It didn't help that the pain in his pinky had been shooting needles up his arm for weeks, keeping him on edge.

Ian hadn't even noticed Mickey's discomfort. He was too busy being the best in the class. He ran up to Mickey and finally came to a stop right beside him, panting heavily. He lifted his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat off his forehead, revealing his abs underneath.

Mickey looked away quickly and rubbed the corner of his mouth. He couldn't fucking stand it anymore. He was going crazy. He leaned over to Ian and whispered "wait for me in the locker room after class."

Ian's eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. He nodded in agreement before bounding away to get back in the game.

Mickey watched him go with a little smile. He usually left the locker rooms early and remained dirty, but this time he was definitely going back in to see Ian after everyone else left. That was the advantage of having PE during the last period of the day. No one would walk in on them, and Mickey was going to get the most out of it.

"Milkovich!" Coach Wright shouted again. "Stop your girly daydreaming and help out your team!"

"Ey, fuck you! I'm gettin' to it," Mickey shouted. He finally broke out into a sprint to join the others.

* * *

As soon as Mickey walked into the locker room, he heard voices. He frowned in confusion. Everyone but Ian should've cleared out of there by then.

"Come _on_ , just one more," said a whiny voice he didn't recognize.

"You _seriously_ want me to blow you after all the _shit_ you said to me before?" Mickey heard Ian reply back, his voice full of quiet anger.

"You're not still butthurt over that little crush you had on me, are you?" the other guy laughed. Mickey glanced around the corner and saw who it was: Roger Spikey. Ian stared down at his hands, clearly upset, and the guy didn't even fucking care.

Mickey instantly hated the douchebag. He fought the urge to growl and run in fists first.

"Why'd you come to me _now_?" Ian asked Roger in monotone, his jaw clenched tightly to keep his emotions under control.

"My family's moving to Indiana soon," Roger explained, completely unaware of the hurt in Ian's voice. "You gave the best blowjobs around, so I thought I'd come say goodbye." He wiggled his eyebrows with a suggestive smirk.

The heartbroken look in Ian's eyes was finally too much for Mickey to handle. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. That fucker was gonna pay.

"Ey yo, lookie what we got here!" Mickey sang out as he swaggered into the room. "Never took you for a cocksucker, Spikey."

Roger wheeled around in horror. "Milkovich!" he sputtered, taking a few steps back. "It's not what it looks like! Honestly, _he's_ the one that-"

Mickey shoved the other boy against a locker and kicked him in the crotch before he could say another word. Roger crumpled to the ground, howling in pain. Ian just sat there on the bench, completely taken aback.

"God _damn_ it," Roger wheezed, clutching himself in pain. "Please, I've only got a week left in this shithole. Do whatever you want to _him_ , but just… just don't tell anyone about _me_."

Mickey scoffed and angrily kicked Roger again and again. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want to, faggot," he spat angrily. "Now get out of here before I fuckin' kill you."

Roger quickly scrambled up from the ground and ran out of the door as fast as he could. As soon as he was gone, Mickey turned to Ian and sighed.

"What'd you do that for?" Ian asked, face crumpled in confusion.

Mickey shrugged. "He pissed me off," he answered vaguely.

Ian laughed bitterly. "Yeah, he does that."

Mickey frowned. "You seriously used to _like_ that asshole?" He tried to act like he didn't care one way or the other, but Ian knew better. The younger boy's face lit up in understanding: Mickey was jealous.

The older boy was caught off guard by Ian's sudden change in attitude. "The fuck are you smilin' at?" he grumbled.

"Nothing," Ian replied happily. Even if Mickey _was_ jealous, he'd never admit it aloud, but Ian was okay with that. "Yeah, I _used_ to like him."

"Oh." Mickey sniffed awkwardly. He didn't like that answer. "So… we gonna fuck or not?"

Ian looked up at the clock. "We got time?"

"I waited the whole fuckin' class for this," Mickey grumbled, already unzipping his pants. "Just get in me already."

Ian laughed. "So impatient," he teased as he set to work undoing his own pants. "The smell of sweaty dudes turn you on?"

"Fuck off," Mickey replied with no real anger in his voice. He leaned against one of the lockers and stuck his ass in the air. "Come on. I'm already good to go."

Ian raised an eyebrow.

"Shut the fuck up," Mickey snapped quickly. "I had to do _something_ while you assholes all took forever to change."

Ian's cock instantly hardened at the mental image of Mickey fingering himself in one of the bathroom stalls. It was true: Mickey's hole was still practically dripping with lube. Ian got out his own bottle of lube and shoved two wet fingers into him just in case. He scissored them and stretched Mickey as far as he could go, but it was clear that he'd already been prepared enough.

Mickey grunted in impatience.

Satisfied that Mickey was loose enough, Ian pulled his fingers out. He reached into his pocket for a condom and tore the wrapper open, tossing it to the side and rolling the rubber onto himself carefully.

Mickey squirmed in annoyance until he finally felt Ian's cock rub against his crack. Mickey bucked backwards, panting blissfully. He let out a shaky exhale in relief when Ian finally slid inside of him as far as he could go.

Ian knew that they had to hurry, so he didn't even give Mickey time to adjust. He pounded into him brutally, forcing him against the lockers, knowing full well that the smaller boy could handle it. Mickey groaned and rocked back onto Ian's cock, loving every second.

The sound of their skin smacking against each other reverberated against the walls. Something about being in that place was such a fucking turn on. So many guys got naked there every single day, but it didn't matter. Neither one of them was picturing anyone else. This was something that only _they_ shared: a dirty little secret.

No one had ever fucked Mickey so _hard_ before. Ian's dick jackhammered right into his prostate, and Mickey had to bite his lip to keep from moaning loudly. Mickey reached an arm back to grip Ian's hip tightly. The contact only encouraged Ian to slam into him with even more force.

Ian would never get used to how sexy Mickey was when he was getting fucked. The way his ass clenched around him, the tight heat, and even his erotic, desperate noises were all too much for Ian to handle.

"I'm gonna…!" Ian whimpered. Without any more warning, his whole body shuddered and he came deep inside of Mickey. Mickey gasped and took it all as Ian's hips stuttered and pushed inside him one last time. His own cock hung down, stiffer than ever.

When Ian finally relaxed, he pulled out of the brunette carefully. After taking off the condom, tying it and tossing it aside, he realized that Mickey still hadn't cum yet.

Mickey turned around and sat down on one of the benches, staring up at Ian as he stroked his cock. "Finish me off," he ordered.

Ian instantly got down on his knees and covered Mickey with his warm mouth. He quickly flicked his tongue to lap up the drops of precum that leaked out of the tip, before engulfing the entire thing greedily. His lips smacked and slurped loudly as his head bobbed up and down. He wanted Mickey to cum as hard and fast as possible.

Mickey watched him, never breaking eye contact. He wasn't going to last much longer. Ian Gallagher staring back up at him with a mouth full of cock was the final straw.

"Ugh fuckkk," he grunted. His breath hitched, and he gripped Ian's hair tightly as white sperm shot out of his cock. Ian pulled his mouth away from Mickey's dick with a pop, causing some of the liquid to spurt out onto his face. Ian swallowed as much as possible, his tongue flicking out to lick the leftover stickiness from his lips.

Mickey sighed in satisfaction, lying down on the bench. "I've always wanted to fuck in here," he admitted happily.

"Me too," Ian laughed as he finished wiping himself off and started to pull his pants back up.

Mickey watched him get dressed. "So… you and _Spikey_ never did that before?" he asked before he could stop himself. Jealousy practically dripped from his voice.

Ian shook his head. "Nah. Things between me and him just… I thought it was more than it really was."

Mickey stayed quiet, looking down at the ground as he zipped up his pants.

"Roger didn't wanna be with me cause I'm not his soulmate," Ian confessed quietly. "That's why I… why I wanted to know about _yours_ so much. I thought…" His words faded away. He didn't know what he thought.

Mickey frowned. He didn't understand why Ian cared so much about his soulmate. If he cared about soulmates so much, he could just follow his own string. Maybe it _would've_ been easier on both of them if Ian just gave up on Mickey and waited for the right person.

Mickey's eyes flickered back up to look at Ian hesitantly. The vulnerability in the redhead's eyes was back. That force between them that Mickey tried to ignore tugged at him harder than ever. For the first time, Mickey actually wanted to _kiss_ Ian. _Anything_ to make the taller boy smile again.

His eyes flickered down to Ian's lips and he sighed. He chewed on his thumbnail and looked away, trying not to think about it. "He's a fuckin' asshole," Mickey grumbled, avoiding the subject. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Ian still didn't get the answer he wanted, but he smiled faintly and followed Mickey out of the locker room all the same.


	9. Heartstring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished building up their relationship! All the important plot things are going to happen very soon! Also, the next chapter in particular is very important! ;D I'm hoping to finish that in a few days!

Mickey flicked Ian in the back of the head. "Hey, _you're_ good at this English shit," he said. "Help me out here."

Ian turned around in his seat, not even caring that the teacher didn't want anyone talking to each other at the moment. He just grinned and pointed to the book in front of Mickey without a word. Mickey re-read the sentence that Ian had pointed to.

"Oh…" he mumbled. "What the _fuck_?"

Ian smirked. "You're welcome."

Mickey rolled his eyes. "Man, this is why I never fuckin' read this shit. I actually _read_ it this time, and I _still_ don't fuckin' get it," he grumbled. "It's a waste of fuckin' time."

"At least you're good at _math_ ," Ian said with a shrug.

Suddenly, Mickey was struck with an idea. "Hey, yeah, I help you with _that_ all the fuckin' time. You gotta help me with _this_."

Ian raised his eyebrows. "You want me to tutor you?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Nah, just… explain shit to me while I read so I don't spend so much time wonderin' what the fuck is goin' on," Mickey clarified.

Ian chuckled and wondered when Mickey had started caring. He hadn't noticed until then, but after he thought about it, he realized Mickey had definitely started paying attention to his schoolwork more and more lately. Maybe their tutoring sessions and Ian's constant talk about getting out of the South Side actually rubbed off on him a little bit.

It didn't seem like Mickey had noticed the change in himself either, and Ian wasn't about to bring it up and ruin the moment.

"Alright," he agreed. "We can hang out and study tomorrow if-"

"You two, be quiet!" Mr. Mason hissed. "It's _private_ study time now."

Ian shot Mickey a look, sighed, and turned around in his chair. They'd figure it out later.

* * *

Ian didn't show up for first period the next day. He wasn't there for third period either. Mickey slumped down in his seat and sulked when he realized that Ian wasn't coming to school at all.

The redhead had never missed a day of class before then, and Mickey was suddenly very grateful for that. He found out that being in class without Ian was one of the worst feelings ever. He didn't have any friends other than Ian or his sister, and it was lonely without the younger boy by his side.

They'd both spent so much of their time together lately that Mickey had almost forgotten what it felt like to be apart. It was cold and numb and felt like something should be _attached_ to him that just wasn't anymore.

Mickey felt stupid for getting so excited about hanging out with Ian after school. He'd picked out a movie for them to watch later and everything. He sighed and told himself to suck it up and stop being a little bitch. Who gave a fuck where Ian was? It didn't fucking matter.

Despite Mickey's attempts to pretend that he didn't care, he spent most of the day wondering where Ian was and why he hadn't mentioned anything about it the day before. Maybe he'd gotten sick. Maybe he'd just felt like skipping.

Either way, after school was over, Mickey trudged back home alone.

* * *

"You're all nothing but worthless, ungrateful piles of dog shit! Why the _fuck_ didn't I make your bitch mother abort you all when I had the chance?!"

When Mickey finally got home, he realized that maybe it was better if Ian didn't come over after all. His father was in another one of his moods again, screaming and punching whatever got in his way. So far, Ian hadn't seen the worst of the Terry horror, and Mickey really wanted to keep it that way.

"Don't _fucking_ look at me like that! I do _everything_ for you little shits, and…!"

Mickey slammed the door to his room and collapsed on the bed. His brothers must have seriously pissed his dad off, and he was not in the mood to get involved.

He lay there face first on the bed, bored and getting horny. As long as Ian wasn't showing up, he figured that he might as well jerk off alone. He'd recently managed to smuggle in a new gay porn magazine that he'd been dying to try out. Just as he was about to reach for it, he heard a soft knock.

Mickey froze in fear for a moment but then sighed in relief when he realized that the sound had come all the way from the front door. Mickey listened for who it was, but his father kept shouting, and no one went to answer it.

There was another knock on the door, louder that time.

Mickey sighed and got up. He stomped through the house again before he threw the front door open.

" _What_?" he growled. He immediately softened when he saw Ian standing in front of him. "Oh, hey. Where were you today?"

Ian didn't reply. He was panting so hard that it looked like he'd run the whole way there. He stared back at Mickey, eyes shining with tears. Something was definitely wrong.

"What's goin' on?" he asked as he eyed Ian carefully.

"My… my mom left," Ian replied in a shaky voice. "She took _all_ her stuff this time… We spent all day looking for her, but… we all _know_ she's gone."

Mickey frowned. He didn't know what to say. He'd never seen Ian so upset. He rubbed at the corner of his mouth, and opened it to say something, but he was interrupted before he could get anything out.

"And who the _fuck_ left their shit in my room?!" his father's voice boomed loudly from inside the house.

Mickey looked behind him nervously. He shouldn't have been talking to Ian at such a bad time. His first instinct was to turn around and tell the other boy that they had to talk later, but when he saw the look in Ian's eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to turn him away.

"Come on. Let's go to my room," he muttered quietly.

Ian followed him into the house. Unfortunately, that was the exact moment that Terry decided to stumble into the living room.

"Where the _fuck_ have _you_ been all day?" he shouted when he finally saw Mickey.

"School," Mickey grunted lowly in reply.

Terry laughed mockingly right in his face. "A stupid kid like you doesn't _need_ to go to school. It's a waste of time," he cackled. "You're never gonna be nothing but trash anyway."

Mickey looked down at the ground. He didn't argue. He _knew_ he was a piece of shit, whether his father was there to tell him or not.

Mickey refused to look at Ian. He didn't want to see the redhead even more upset than he already was.

Before anyone else could say anything, one of Mickey's brothers named Iggy walked by, rubbing his temples like he had a headache. "Can you shut the fuck up for one _second_ , dad? Seriously, we _get_ it already."

"Oh, you _get_ it, huh?" Terry growled. He grabbed Iggy by his shirt, and before anyone else in the room realized what was happening, he punched him in the face. Iggy cried out and fell to the ground, clutching his nose. Blood poured through his fingers.

No one said a word. Terry walked away, completely unaffected by what he'd done.

Ian looked around, expecting some kind of revolt. Frank had punched him more times than he could count, and his siblings had stuck up for him every time. The Milkoviches were known for being a tight-knit family, so he was sure that they'd do the same.

But he was wrong. Everyone in the room kept to themselves, pretending that everything was okay.

Iggy silently got up and went to go find something to clean up with. Mickey looked away, not offering his brother any help. Ian spotted Mandy in the corner of the room. She hadn't moved an inch the whole time. She went back to watching the TV, jaw clenched tight to hide her fear.

That's when Ian realized that Terry had fucked up _every_ one of his kids. In their own way, they were all broken, and they all suffered alone.

* * *

Things were much better once they reached Mickey's room. As soon as they were alone, Mickey visibly relaxed.

"Fuckin' parents, huh?" Ian mumbled as he slumped down on Mickey's bed.

Mickey sat down next to him, not really looking him in the eyes. He didn't want to talk about his own problems. "Your mom _really_ just up and left?" he asked.

Ian snorted sarcastically. "She always wanted to get away from all of us. Should've known she was planning to leave." His voice started to waver as he held back tears. "You know, she didn't even take baby Liam with her… That poor kid."

"Your mom's a fuckin' bitch," Mickey growled in response. "Didn't realize how _good_ she had it."

A weak, small smile spread across Ian's face. "Thanks," he mumbled.

Without thinking, he leaned over and wrapped his arms around Mickey in a tight hug. It felt so natural, and it was exactly what he needed in that moment.

Mickey didn't know how to react. Except for when they fucked, they never really touched very often. His hands hung awkwardly in the air for a second like he didn't know what to do with them.

Realizing that Ian wasn't about to pull away anytime soon, Mickey slowly brought his hands around the other boy in an uncomfortable embrace. It wasn't so bad once he got used to it.

"Mickey," Ian murmured. "You're not useless trash like he says, you know? You're smart, _so_ smart, and you're always there when I need you most."

Mickey pulled away from Ian and sighed. His face flushed slightly from embarrassment. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. No one ever stood up for him like that. If anyone else had said those words, he wouldn't have believed them, but lately things had changed. Ian brought out the best in him, and even Mickey was starting to see that he could do things if he actually tried.

Ian smiled at him faintly. "Sorry for bitching about my mom," he said quietly. "I didn't know where else to go…"

His words tugged at Mickey's heartstrings. It felt like a jolt of energy ran through him, pulling him toward Ian like a magnet. Before he realized it, he was touching Ian's hand and staring down at Ian's mouth. That overwhelming urge to press their lips together came back stronger than ever. He licked his bottom lip and sighed. He wanted Ian so bad.

Finally, he just gave in.

He did it so quickly that Ian didn't realize what had happened until a moment later: Mickey had kissed him. Eyes fluttering closed, Ian kissed back.

Mickey pressed Ian backwards slowly onto the bed and climbed on top of him. They made out gently for what seemed like forever, finding the safety and love they craved in each other's arms.


	10. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to "Star Crossed" by Scary Kids Scaring Kids a lot while writing this chapter, because the lyrics "I won't give up my love so that fate can have its way. If the stars say that you couldn't love me are you telling me that you would listen?" fit Ian's thoughts pretty well.
> 
> Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! The very beginning of all the drama, at least. Only 3 more chapters after this!

Ian couldn't stop thinking about kissing Mickey. He'd kissed other guys before and it felt great, but those times paled in comparison.

Kissing Mickey was like finally getting a breath of fresh air after a long time of choking to death. The air around them sparked and pulsed with life the minute their lips touched. So many emotions flowed through Ian that he wasn't even sure if they had all originally belonged to him. It was like he could tell what Mickey was thinking and feeling through touch. He loved it.

Mickey loved it too, but he hated it at the same time. In some ways, it confirmed everything that he'd ever been scared of. Kissing Ian felt like being connected to a soulmate again. To Mickey, that was the equivalent of feeling like a scared little child. It terrified him.

For days after the first time they kissed, Mickey kept coming back for more. Kissing became a necessary part of their routine, but even still, Mickey never talked about it. He pretended like nothing between them had changed.

Ian was glad that things between them finally seemed to be moving past "friendship," but Mickey's silence only made him more restless. All he could think about was the pain he'd went through with Roger. The possibility of Mickey eventually leaving him for his real soulmate nagged at him more than ever. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask. So many things just _needed_ to be said.

"Hey! You better fuckin' put those back before I crack your skull open on the pavement!"

Ian was startled out of his daze by Mickey's loud voice. They were both at the Kash and Grab, and Ian was supposed to be restocking the shelves, but he'd gotten distracted.

The guy that Mickey had shouted at dropped the candy he'd been trying to steal and ran out of the store.

"Uh… thanks, Mickey," Kash muttered meekly.

Mickey just shrugged. "Add it to the paycheck," he said. Mickey had come to the Kash and Grab to see Ian so often that he'd managed to intimidate Kash into giving him a job working security. Anytime he stopped a robbery, Kash paid him a little bit of money. It wasn't much, but it was a way to pass the time while he hung around during Ian's shift.

Ian bent over, reaching for some of the cans on the lowest shelf. Kash's eyes immediately went toward his ass. Admittedly, Mickey took a moment to stare as well, but he turned back around just in time to catch Kash in the act.

Even as the older man walked toward the back room and out of view, he could barely tear his eyes away. Mickey wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Your boss is a fuckin' pedo, dude," Mickey grumbled as soon as he was out of ear shot.

Ian looked up and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Mickey motioned toward the back room. "That asshole over there keeps staring at you. It's gross."

Ian laughed out loud in disbelief. "He's married, Mick. With kids!"

"So?" Mickey sneered. "Trust me, he would bend over for you in a _second_ if you asked."

"No, he wouldn't," Ian protested.

"Yeah, maybe cause he knows I would beat his faggot ass if he even tried," Mickey growled possessively.

Ian smirked and raised an eyebrow. Mickey was acting just like he had the day he beat up Roger. "Someone sounds jealous."

Mickey paused, unable to come up with a retort. "… fuck off."

"Admit it," Ian teased. "You're jealous. You _like_ me."

"Seriously. Fuck _off_ ," Mickey grumbled back.

"You kissed me," Ian pointed out.

Mickey didn't say anything. He turned around and started helping Ian restock the shelves, just to have something distracting to do.

"You _do_ like me, right?" Ian asked, softer that time. "Like… in a _soulmate_ way?"

Mickey spun around. "Enough with the freakin' soulmate crap!" he shouted.

"You can't ignore it forever, Mick!" Ian insisted.

His mind ran a million miles a minute. He wanted Mickey to admit his feelings so that he could finally convince himself that he was doing the right thing. He felt bad about stealing Mickey from whoever he was connected to, but something in him wanted to be selfish, no matter who else got hurt in the process. Maybe, if Mickey _could_ decide his own fate like he said, they really _could_ be together in the end. At least, that's what Ian hoped.

"I don't have a soulmate!" Mickey shouted.

His words hung in the air. Ian's heart skipped a beat and all of his thoughts and theories came to a complete stop.

"What?" he murmured. "How… how does that even happen?"

Mickey sighed in defeat. He might as well say it. Maybe then Ian would realize that Mickey wasn't worth it, and they could just move on with their lives before either of them got any more attached.

"When I was a kid, I found a way to break the string." He showed Ian the scar that was barely visible under his tattoo.

Ian was horrified. "That's possible?" he asked quietly. "But… what about your soulmate?"

"Who the fuck knows?" Mickey muttered. "They're not my problem anymore."

Ian was quiet. "I… I don't get it. Why did you-?"

"Jesus Christ! Enough with the 20 questions!" Mickey spat bitterly. "I don't hear _you_ telling me about _your_ soulmate."

Ian hesitated. "… That's cause I don't have one either," he finally admitted quietly.

Mickey hadn't expected that. "The fuck are you talking about? Of course you do."

"I think he died," Ian explained softly. "He was in so much pain, and then one night he was just gone. Every guy I've been with since just… hasn't been the one. They all had someone else."

Mickey's eyes lit up with understanding. He finally got why Ian was so obsessive about soulmates. "You never fuckin' mentioned that before," he mumbled defensively.

A smile spread across Ian's face. "Yeah, but… don't you _see_? Everyone else has a soulmate, but _you_ don't. I don't either. Isn't that _sort of_ like fate?"

Mickey realized what Ian was trying to imply, and he took a step back. "I don't give a _shit_ about fate, okay? Fuck!"

"Mickey, come _on_ …"

The shorter boy shook his head violently, and with a flash of absolute fear in his eyes, he was out the door in an instant. Ian was tempted to go after him, but Kash walked back into the room before he could even move.

"Something happen?" Kash asked curiously.

"No," Ian muttered. He went back to work.

More than ever, he was sure that he and Mickey were meant to be together. He didn't have to worry about taking Mickey away from anyone anymore. Mickey was all _his_.

The connection between them couldn't have just been something that he'd made up in his head. Ever since they'd kissed, something had ignited in him. Right down to his biology, he felt it. His whole body was still warm from Mickey's presence, especially his pinky…

Suddenly, Ian's eyes went wide. He looked down at his little finger, examining it closely for the first time since he was a child. The short, dangling string hung there where it had always been, but instead of the faded color he remembered, it glowed and pulsed dark red. He'd never noticed it acting like that before.

He instantly knew that it was because of Mickey. The other boy made something in him react, just like soulmates were supposed to. It was _exactly_ like what he'd felt as a kid. _Exactly_ … like it…

Slowly, it all fell into place. Maybe Ian's soulmate _wasn't_ dead after all. Maybe he'd just been a scared little kid who severed his own string by the name of Mickey Milkovich.


	11. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter is certainly a rollercoaster of angst and emotion. I'm so sorry. It's important for character development, I swear.
> 
> IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO HANDLE NON-EXPLICIT MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE, THEN DON'T READ FURTHER.

Even though Ian had figured out the truth, he still had to convince Mickey to accept him. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Mickey had spent his _whole_ life running, scared and alone. Ian couldn't blame him for being so afraid; he remembered the waves of pain he'd felt through the string before their connection had been severed. No one should have to deal with that kind of fear.

Still, Ian wasn't about to give up, not when he'd _finally_ found his soulmate again. He wanted Mickey to feel secure in being safe and loved for once. There _had_ to be some way of convincing him that their feelings for each other were okay.

If only Mickey would just _talk_ to him about it.

He sat on the bed in Mandy's room as he tried to think of something. She used his legs as a pillow, hanging out with him as usual. She was rambling on about something, but he wasn't really listening. He only had one thing on his mind at the moment.

"Hey, Mandy… do you think it's possible to go against fate?" he asked quietly.

Mandy frowned at the unexpected question. "Why? Did ya find your soulmate and see he's butt ugly or somethin'?"

"No… that's not it," Ian replied.

Mandy looked up at him curiously, wondering why he was so serious all of a sudden. "Alright. _What_ happened?"

Ian sighed. He couldn't even _pretend_ to be casual about it. "I think I found him," he admitted, "but… he keeps pushing me away."

Mandy smirked. "Who is it?"

"Can't tell you. He doesn't like people knowing he's gay," Ian grumbled. "That's why he won't be with me. He can't admit who he really is."

Mandy shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it," she replied unsympathetically. "You've heard all the stories. Soulmates _always_ end up with each other in the end, connected forever." She held up her finger and stared at the light pink string around it thoughtfully.

Ian didn't want to look down at his own pathetically short string, but he didn't have to. During the last couple days, he'd become painfully aware of it pulsing rhythmically like the blood through his veins. "But…" he stammered helplessly. "What if he found a way to _cut_ the string?"

"He… what?" Mandy laughed in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"It _is_ , because he _did_. _That's_ how fuckin' scared he is of being with me," Ian chuckled humorlessly. "It's just so _frustrating_! I know what he felt when he kissed me. He _wants_ to be with me."

"Jesus Christ," Mandy whispered, sitting up and staring at him with wide eyes when she realized that he was serious. "I… I have no idea _what_ could happen if you're not connected. I've never _heard_ of that before."

It was the answer Ian had been expecting, but he still couldn't help feeling disappointed. "I just… I thought he felt the same way about me. I wanna _be_ with him, but I also don't wanna push him away by trying too hard, you know?"

Mandy grimaced. "Honestly? He sounds like an asshole. He _knows_ you're his soulmate, but he still won't even admit he likes you back?"

Ian hesitated. " _Well_ …" he said slowly. "He doesn't _exactly_ know."

Mandy raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

Ian sighed and decided to just tell her the short version of the story. "He told me he cut his string when he was a kid. The connection to _my_ soulmate stopped when _I_ was a kid," he said quickly. "I put it all together, and it just made sense."

"Sounds fucked up," Mandy mumbled.

"Yeah, it kind of is," Ian admitted. "But just _wait_ until you kiss your soulmate for the first time, Mandy. You'll understand."

Mandy was silent for a moment. "So… you _love_ him?"

"I… I like the way he smells," Ian replied lamely. He wasn't ready to toss around words like 'love' when he didn't even know if Mickey was ever going to speak to him again.

"A match made in heaven," Mandy laughed.

Ian didn't laugh with her.

Mandy just sighed at his glum face. "Listen, just… don't worry about it. If you two were disconnected all this time, and you _still_ ended up falling for each other, then maybe fate _is_ still on your side."

Ian looked back at her and smiled weakly. "Yeah, we'll see," he said.

"You _know_ I'm right," Mandy responded with a grin. She pushed his shoulder playfully. Ian pushed her back, finally letting out a genuine little laugh.

"So… what's _your_ soulmate feel like?" he asked, just to change the subject.

Mandy lay back down and examined her finger once again. "Well… they feel pretty far away from me right _now_ , but from what _I_ can tell…"

* * *

That was enough. Mickey didn't want to hear any more.

Neither of the two friends noticed as he moved away from the slightly ajar door to Mandy's room. He hadn't _intended_ to listen in on them at first, but it happened anyway.

And he regretted it.

Mickey chewed on his lip and tried not to panic as he stumbled into the living room and came face to face with his dad.

"Watch where the fuck you're going!" Terry shouted, shoving him out of the way.

Mickey didn't respond. He just let it happen, his mind still busy trying process what he'd just heard. All of the pain he thought he'd _cut_ out of himself when he was a kid resurfaced. It was like the _one_ thing that had been keeping him safe was suddenly gone. His safety net had never even fucking existed in the first place.

Mickey wanted to puke.

Of _course_ Ian was his real soulmate. How could it have been anyone else? He should've known. He should've _fucking_ known.

He'd let his _soulmate_ touch him and taste him. His _soulmate_ had been inside him, poisoning his thoughts with the idea of love and a better, safer future.

Mickey loved Ian back, he really did. Ian was everything he'd ever feared and everything he'd ever wanted all in one package. But he'd never believed in happy endings. Instead of an _almost_ declaration of love, he'd heard a death sentence.

Mickey wanted to shout and scream. He wanted to trash his room, smashing everything in sight. But he didn't do any of those things. Instead, he grabbed a whole case of beer from the fridge and headed to his room. As soon as he was alone, he opened one of the bottles and hurriedly chugged every last drop.

He didn't want to think anymore.

* * *

Mickey didn't even know what time it was. His mind was hazy, but one thing was clear: he wanted _Ian_. He wanted him so _bad_.

He wasn't as drunk as he had been a few hours ago. Somehow the soberness settling in on his wavering mind allowed for a moment of clarity he never would've had otherwise.

He wanted to _scream_ at Ian. He didn't even know what he wanted to tell him, but he just wanted to _scream_ it.

Of course he fuckin' liked Ian back, and of _course_ he wanted to be with him.

But despite all that he'd done, Mickey still loved his father. He couldn't let go of the one thing he'd always wanted more than anything else: his dad's approval. His family meant _everything_ to him.

Mickey's insides were all jumbled up with contradictions. It was either Ian or his family. He couldn't have both. If his dad ever found them together, he would shoot first and ask questions later. But at the same time, even to save both of their lives, saying goodbye to Ian was not something he could live with.

God, he just wanted to kiss that stupid sad frown off of Ian's fucking face.

Without thinking, he got up and headed straight for the last place he remembered Ian being: Mandy's room. He walked through the dark hallways and threw open the door without even a second thought.

What he saw instead instantly sobered him up.

His dad was lying on top of Mandy, and tears were running down her cheeks. It was clear what he was trying to do. He'd probably done it several times before.

His own fucking daughter, the sick pervert.

The two of them gaped in horror when they saw that they were being watched. Mickey felt his heart break when he saw the shame and terror in his sister's eyes.

He didn't stop to ask questions. He forgot all about Ian for the moment and grabbed the nearest gun.


	12. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left after this. I can't believe it's almost over. Finally, everything will come together! It's gonna be great!
> 
> Also, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Just like the last one, BE WARNED THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS NON-EXPLICIT MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Mickey barked as he cocked the gun. Terry sighed in annoyance and stumbled drunkenly off the bed without a word.

For a short second Mickey was relieved to see that the old fuck was still wearing his boxers.

"Mandy, tell me what the _fuck_ is going on," he demanded.

She didn't reply to her brother right away. She just stood there in shock.

Before he could ask again, Terry moved to get his pants. They'd been thrown haphazardly on the floor in the corner of the room. Mickey didn't take the gun off of him for one second.

"Don't you even fuckin' _think_ about it!" he growled. "I ain't stupid. I know you probably got a weapon stashed in there somewhere."

Terry's eyes narrowed and he finally turned around to give Mickey his full attention. "Put the gun down, kid," he laughed. "You're not gonna fuckin' shoot me."

Without hesitating, Mickey pulled the trigger. Mandy finally snapped out of her silent state of shock and gasped in horror.

Terry crumpled to the ground, clutching his wounded leg. "Fuck!" he howled in pain. "You shit-lickin' son of a bitch!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Mickey shouted over him. "You've got no problem hurting _Mandy_. Why the _fuck_ should I give a shit about _you_?"

"Mickey, stop it!" Mandy screamed. "H-he was drunk! He blacked out and thought I was mom or something. He didn't _do_ anything. Let's just forget about it!"

"Are you seriously gonna fuckin' tell me that this was the first time?" Mickey shot back.

The look on Mandy's face told Mickey all the answers he needed to know. "Please don't hurt him. And don't tell anyone about it. Just… don't say _anything_. Let's just leave him alone and everything will go back to normal!"

"This _is_ normal for us, Mandy!" Mickey shouted. He'd never thought of it that way before, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth he knew they were true. "If we let him go, he'll just do it again. And I'm _not_ lettin' that happen. Not to you."

"You fuckin' ungrateful cocksucker!" Terry hissed. "You turnin' on your own _fuckin'_ family?"

" _Mandy_ is family. But that didn't fuckin' stop _you,_ now did it?" Mickey seethed. Anger practically _dripped_ from his voice. "So as far as I'm concerned… _you're_ not family anymore."

"What are you gonna do?" Mandy asked lowly, crossing her arms tightly around herself and looking down at the ground.

Mickey stood there for a moment, thinking of all the possible ways he could give Terry what he deserved. This man had made their lives hell. He'd beaten any sign of happiness or self-esteem out of all of them since they were children. He was the one responsible for Mickey's fear of being gay and Mandy's stolen sexuality. Those scars would be with them forever. Terry deserved something just as bad.

Mickey wanted to kill him… but he couldn't. Terry would always be his father, and Mickey would always have a twisted, Stockholm Syndrome form of love for him. Somehow Mickey had gotten used to the pain itself, but the image of his father on top of a crying Mandy was seared into his brain, and he finally understood what he should've known all along: Terry was never going to love any of them back.

That small ray of hope that he'd held onto for so long was finally gone and he was faced with reality. In order to keep Mandy safe, his only option was to force Terry out of their lives once and for all.

"Mandy, go get the phone," he finally said with a smirk. "You know that druggie cop that owes us a shit ton of money for that coke? Tell him I've got a job for him."

Mandy looked at him pleadingly. "You're not gonna tell him-?"

"Nah," Mickey promised her. "Just call the guy, threaten him a little and tell him all he has to do is make sure this asshole never sees freedom again. Shouldn't be too hard. The cops have been waiting to bust his ass for years."

"You motherfucking, horse sucking, no good, shit stained…!"

"Guns, drugs, kiddy porn… I'm sure there's plenty of shit in this house alone that we could use as evidence!" Mickey continued louder so his father could hear.

Mandy clenched her jaw and looked down at the ground, trying not to cry. "... thanks," she whispered.

"It's what you do for family," Mickey replied. He loved his sister, and he was willing to do anything to keep her safe.

* * *

Ian paced back in forth in the kitchen, dialing the Milkoviches' phone number once again. He hadn't seen either of them for a few days.

At first he'd thought that Mickey was avoiding him, but when he wasn't even able to get ahold of Mandy either, he knew that something must've been wrong.

After the third day in a row that they both missed school, Ian even went and knocked on their front door in an attempt to give Mickey his class notes for the test they had the next day. All he'd gotten was silence, not even the sound of Terry's screaming voice on the other side of the door.

After what seemed like the millionth try, Mandy finally answered the phone. "Hello?" she said in a tired voice.

"Mandy, what the fuck? Where have you and Mickey been?" Ian grumbled. "I've been looking for you guys everywhere."

"We live at our Aunt's house now," Mandy explained. "Actually, I'm only at the house now cause I had to get a few things."

Ian was shocked. "What?" he shouted. "Why? What happened?"

"Mickey bribed a cop to arrest dad, so our Aunt took us in," Mandy said simply.

That didn't make sense. Mickey practically worshiped his dad. "Why?" Ian asked.

"Guess he was tired of him being such an asshole," Mandy responded half truthfully.

"Is he okay?" Ian asked. "I _know_ him. He wouldn't have just called the cops for no reason."

"I don't know," Mandy replied. "He was drunk the last time I saw him. But it's almost been a whole day since then. He must've gone out."

"Jesus Christ," Ian hissed, suddenly overcome with worry. "I gotta go look for him then."

"Don't worry," Mandy insisted. "He does shit like this all the time."

Ian sighed doubtfully. "You coming back to school soon?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Mandy answered. "We basically finished moving in, so I guess I have no excuse anymore."

"Good," Ian said. "You gotta give me your new address and phone number later too."

"Alright," Mandy responded, sighing.

Ian paused. There was something in her voice that had been bothering him ever since she'd picked up the phone. "Hey, Mandy… are _you_ doing okay?"

"What?" she asked, alarmed by the sudden seriousness in his voice.

"It's just… you sound sad," Ian explained.

"No, I'm good," Mandy said quietly. "Actually… I'm _really_ good."

Ian smiled in relief. "Oh, okay. Just making sure."

"See you tomorrow, Ian," Mandy laughed. "If you find my dickhead brother, tell him that I won't make him any spaghettiOs for dinner if he doesn't show up in time."

"I'll be sure to do that," Ian chuckled. "Thanks, Mands."

He hung up the phone, letting out a loud sigh. Debbie and Carl sat at the kitchen table nearby eating lunch. They stared at him.

"What was that about?" Debbie asked curiously.

"Nothing," Ian responded. "I just have something I gotta do. Be back later." He grabbed his coat and headed out the door.

He had to find Mickey.


	13. Soulmates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The final chapter. I'm so sorry it took me so long to write. I really hope you enjoyed this series. Please tell me what you think! I really loved writing it. I'm usually a one-shot type of person, but maybe I'll write more chapter fics in the future.
> 
> Also, in case anyone has complaints or is wondering about the pinky promise thing, it's a big part of the red string legend. I was just trying to stay true to that.

As soon as Mickey found himself standing in front of the Gallagher house, he knew that he hadn't wandered there by coincidence. It was like his legs had been on autopilot, and when he looked up, he was exactly where he needed to be.

Mickey wished that he could've been more surprised, but he really wasn't. It was just more proof of what he should've known all along: even without his string, the pull never stopped tugging him in his soulmate's direction. He could feel it in the air, pushing through every cell of his body and drawing him closer with each step.

He and Ian were inevitably fate connected. He had accepted that.

But just because he'd accepted it didn't mean it was okay. Yeah, Ian was his soulmate, but so fucking what? His father was finally gone and never coming back, but that didn't erase an entire lifetime of being afraid. There was no way that he was just gonna run into Ian's arms like a lovesick girl, shouting his fucking feelings to the world. Mickey knew better than anyone that life wasn't a fucking fairytale like that.

He lit a cigarette and sighed, exhaling smoke into the wind. He stared at the door in front of him and thought of turning back. Perhaps it would be easier if he just waited until school the next day to talk to Ian. The redhead always had a way of clouding his judgment and turning his mind hazy. Between all the shit that had been happening lately, he'd been struggling to hold onto his last bit of sanity anyway.

However, just as he made up his mind to leave, the door flung open and he came face to face with Ian Gallagher, forcing all his attempts of rational thought to a screeching halt.

Ian stared back at him, eyes wide and mouth hung open in surprise. Mickey grimaced, embarrassed that he'd been seen. Of all the moments that Ian could've chosen to look for him, of _course_ it had to have been the exact fucking time he was standing on his doorstep.

After all, it was fate.

"What are you doing here?" Ian asked, unable to suppress the small, knowing grin that spread across his face.

Mickey shrugged and looked away, cursing his body's betraying reaction to Ian's presence. "Came to see you," he murmured.

Ian smiled even wider, glad that Mickey didn't seem to be pushing him away anymore for the moment. "It's been forever."

"Sorry," Mickey muttered. "Some shit happened."

"Yeah…" Ian replied awkwardly. "Mandy told me."

Mickey scowled and brought his cigarette back up to his lips. "Figures," came his muffled reply.

"Don't think she told me the whole truth though," Ian admitted.

"Probably not," Mickey snorted simply. It didn't look like _he_ was in the mood to talk about it either. The inescapable tension in the air was putting him on edge, and the nicotine pulsing through his veins was doing nothing to calm his nerves.

He hoped that Ian would just take the hint and leave it at that, but of course, the stupid redhead _had_ to push for more information. "So… everything's okay though, right?" he asked.

"Yep," Mickey grunted. "Just fuckin' perfect."

"Really?" Ian continued hesitantly. "Cause the last time we spoke wasn't exactly-"

"Don't worry about it," Mickey interrupted.

"So… you're not mad?" Ian persisted.

"No, but I fuckin' will be if you keep asking me dumb questions!" Mickey shouted.

"Well, you obviously _are_ mad or you wouldn't be yelling at me!" Ian barked back.

Mickey growled in frustration. He hadn't _meant_ to start an argument, honestly. He just hated that Ian wouldn't stop pushing him for answers. "Don't…" he grumbled warningly.

"Why not, Mick? Just say it!" Ian yelled, stepping closer until he was right up in Mickey's face.

Mickey looked up at him, eyes pleading. "Not everybody gets to just…" He paused and bit his lip, barely able to finish his sentence. "Not everybody gets to just blurt out how they fuckin' feel every minute."

They both fell silent, staring at each other intensely. Ian's mouth snapped closed and suddenly he felt a bit guilty. That must have been really hard for Mickey to say. He stared at the older boy pleadingly, yearning to know more.

It wasn't until Mickey's eyes finally flickered away that the moment was broken.

Ian sighed, not daring to pursue the topic any further. "You wanna come inside?" he muttered in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Just… to hang out like usual?"

Mickey shrugged. "Sure," he replied. He followed Ian back up the stairs and into the house.

Carl and Debbie were still sitting at the kitchen table, finishing up their lunch. They stared at Mickey curiously when he trailed in behind their brother.

" _You_ sure came back quick," Debbie commented.

"Ran into a friend," Ian explained dismissively. "We're gonna go hang out upstairs for a while, okay? Don't bother us."

"Whatever," Carl replied. "I was just gonna leave anyway. Gotta find Frank."

"Can I come?" Debbie asked, perking up.

"Sure, whatever," Carl responded without interest.

Ian and Mickey left them downstairs, bounding up the steps two at a time. When they finally reached the boys room, Ian slammed the door behind them eagerly. Without hesitating a single second, he pinned Mickey up against it and kissed him hard.

Mickey relaxed and just let Ian do whatever he wanted. He wasn't so good at talking, but _this_ he could do. Physical intimacy had always been his weakness, a guilty pleasure. He liked the danger and the thrill of it. But in that moment, as Ian spun him around and led him backwards toward the bed, it felt different, like he was where he _belonged_.

It was their first time together since figuring out they were soulmates, and a revelation like that wasn't something a person could ignore. More than ever, Mickey was hyperaware of the unexplainable warmth and strange electricity that passed through them with every touch and kiss.

Ian's lips were insistent and comforting against his. They only parted for a moment, allowing Ian to tug Mickey's shirt over his head and pull off his own. They fumbled to strip each layer off clothing off of one another, and Mickey hurriedly fell backwards onto the bed in order to shove his own pants down.

It had been too _fucking_ long since Ian had been inside of him, and he was growing desperate.

As soon as they were both sufficiently naked, Ian leaned down to attack Mickey's neck with bites and kisses, massaging his hands over every inch of skin he could find.

Mickey leaned back and groaned, arching up to grind his hips against Ian's maddeningly. The warmth of their cocks pressed up against each other sent a shiver of pleasure through both of them.

Unable to wait any longer, Mickey swiped a condom and some lube off of Ian's bedside table. He didn't want to think about the emotions that Ian made him feel. All he wanted was the pleasure.

"Put this on," he demanded, tossing Ian the condom.

Ian pumped his shaft a few times, making sure that his erection was at full length, before tearing open the wrapper and putting on the condom carefully. While he was busy, Mickey set to work on himself, pushing lube-covered fingers into his own opening and scissoring them to make sure that he was properly stretched.

Ian watched him, transfixed. "Need help?" he asked with a seductive smirk.

Mickey nodded with a grin of his own. He squirmed and watched with gleaming, lust-filled eyes as Ian squirted lube onto one of his own fingers. Once Ian finally pushed that slick finger into him, right along with the other three Mickey had stuffed inside already, the brunette's breath hitched and he bit his lip to stifle a noise of appreciation.

Ian pressed his fingers in and out of Mickey's hole carefully, keeping on like that until he was _sure_ that Mickey was sufficiently prepared. He wanted Mickey to feel nothing but ecstasy when he fucked him.

"You ready to take my cock?" he murmured in a low, husky voice.

"Fuck yes," Mickey gasped, squeezing his eyes shut and sighing. He spread his legs further apart, allowing for Ian to position himself in between them.

A moment later, he was rewarded with the feeling of Ian's dick pushing inside of him. Mickey could barely bite back a groan of satisfaction. He inhaled sharply, feeling all of his senses overloading.

The air surrounding them pulsed with life as their two bodies became one.

Ian didn't give Mickey much time to get used to it, burying his face in the crook of Mickey's neck and pounding inside of him hard, making him cry out with every thrust. He knew Mickey's body well enough to determine exactly how much force it could take, hitting all the right spots and doing all the right things to drive him crazy.

As much as Mickey hated to acknowledge it, he knew that no one else could make him feel so good in body or soul. When they were connected together like that, he couldn't pretend. He could only feel. Ian was more than just a fuck buddy to him. He always was. There was no way he could stifle the truth any longer.

Ian felt overwhelmed as well, but that only made him more determined to claim Mickey with everything he had. He grabbed the smaller boy tightly and jackhammered into his body without mercy.

Mickey raked his fingers down the skin of Ian's back, coming to rest on the swell of his ass. He grabbed it and felt it flex with each hard, deep movement downward into him. Ian's ROTC training was really starting to pay off. Just the feeling of the redhead's strong muscles overpowering him and trapping him against the mattress made Mickey's aching cock twitch with life against his stomach.

He fucking _loved_ it when Ian was so rough with him.

Unfortunately, Ian had other plans in mind. He sat up to get a better view of Mickey's face, stilling his hips and taking a moment to appreciate the man below him. Mickey looked up at him in confusion, but Ian only smiled in admiration and panted heavily, trying to catch his breath.

Mickey hissed impatiently, purposefully ruining the romantic atmosphere. "Come on," he growled, trying to move his hips down onto Ian's dick. "Faster!"

"No," Ian responded, sounding less playful than he'd intended. "I want you to _feel_ it."

He began to rock his hips down into Mickey with forceful, weighty thrusts, setting a pace that was unbearably slow. Every movement was meaningful and pervasive, deliberate and loving. As much as Mickey complained that he wanted it faster, Ian never complied. Instead, to ease Mickey's discomfort, he wrapped a gentle hand around the ill-tempered boy's cock and stroked it lazily.

A strangled moan caught in Mickey's throat, and all he could do was lay there and take it. Ian's hips snapped deeper into him, burying to the hilt, and then pulled back out again sluggishly.

Mickey lost all sense of time as he slowly felt his orgasm build within him. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his toes curled. Even his movements became more erratic.

This was it. He was almost there.

His eyes became foggy, practically watering from how good it felt. He'd never been so close to cumming without toppling hurriedly and sloppily over the edge. Instead, Ian guided him through every overwhelming feeling. At such a leisurely pace, he couldn't help being aware of every little movement of Ian's body and every spark of pleasure in his own. Every emotion within himself became impossible to ignore.

Sensing that Mickey was nearing the end, Ian slammed into him passionately one final time, grazing against the one spot that infallibly doomed him to blissful oblivion.

Mickey didn't stand a chance. He came hard, clenching around Ian. The man on top of him tugged furiously at his leaking dick, milking every last drop out onto his belly. The sights and the sounds were finally too much for Ian to handle, and he followed suit. His whole body shuddered and emptied into the exhausted man below him.

They both gasped desperately for a few final, frenzied moments before sagging down onto the bed.

Mickey vaguely registered Ian getting up to throw away the condom, but he didn't bother to open his eyes. A few moments later, Ian collapsed back onto the bed next to him, cuddling close.

Mickey could feel Ian's sweaty chest against his side, but he didn't say anything. They were both too caught up in their blissful daze, content with everything in that moment.

Ian reached out for Mickey's hand lazily, almost by instinct, like it was the most natural thing in the world for their hands to be connected. Mickey accepted it unthinkingly at first, allowing Ian to lace their fingers together. As the clock ticked, their panting and exhaustion faded away. Everything felt perfect.

But in Mickey's mind, that kind of happiness couldn't exist without a price.

His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he shuffled out of bed, quickly pulling on his boxers and gathering up the rest of his clothing.

"Where are you going?" Ian asked nervously. Something was wrong.

"Home," Mickey grunted.

"Don't go," Ian insisted with a small hint of hope in his voice, reaching out for the other boy's hand again.

Mickey pulled away from his grasp. "Told you before. M'not gonna be your soulmate or boyfriend or whatever," he grumbled. "I came here to _get off_. Only _punks_ like you care about all that other _feelings_ shit."

"Punks like _me_?" Ian stared at him incredulously. He couldn't believe how quickly they'd gone right back to where they started. "I get it; you don't wanna 'blurt out your feelings.' Fine. But… don't do this."

Mickey sighed, pausing midway between shoving his pants back on. "You think I got a _choice_?"

"Yeah," Ian replied stubbornly, "and you're forcing yourself to make the wrong one."

Mickey didn't reply. He looked away and went back to fumbling with his pants. Someone like Ian just couldn't understand.

Ian exhaled deeply, getting ready for Mickey's explosive reaction sure to come. "Is that why you cut our string when we were kids?" he asked tauntingly. "You didn't have a choice?"

That was it. He'd said it. They were true soulmates, and now both of them _knew_ it.

But Mickey didn't seem shocked or angry about the news like Ian had expected. Instead, he just stood there looking guilty and far too much like he'd known the information already.

After a long, stagnant moment, Mickey finally spoke up. "It was nothing personal," he mumbled.

Ian was shocked. "You _knew_?" he shouted.

"Not my fault you keep the door open during girly gab hour at my own fucking house," Mickey barked back defensively.

Ian relaxed when he realized that meant Mickey had only known about it for a few days. "Oh… so does that mean you're-?"

"It doesn't change anything," Mickey interrupted him quickly.

"Of course it does," Ian scoffed. "Even without our strings showing us the way, you _still_ ended up with me. That _means_ something."

"Fuck you! You think I _wanna_ be a fag?" Mickey shouted.

"No, but that doesn't change the fact that you are one," Ian argued. "And as much as you hate it… I think you _wanna_ be with me."

"So what if I do?" Mickey yelled. "That doesn't mean I'm gonna shout it to the whole world."

"Who fucking asked you to?" Ian asked with a confused frown.

Mickey hesitated. "You're the one always going on about soulmates and shit. I thought…"

"If telling everyone you're gay makes you so scared, then fine," Ian said. "I won't make you do it until you're ready."

Mickey narrowed his eyes warily. "Then what do you _want_ from me?" he demanded in frustration.

Ian stood up from the bed and drew closer to the other man standing in front of him. "I just… I just want you to stop running away. Just give in."

"Give in?" Mickey asked, tensing up more and more with each step Ian took.

"Yes," the younger boy confirmed. "Things between us won't be easy, but… I have a feeling they'll fall right into place. All I'm asking is just… let it. Do what comes natural. Do what you want. No more running away. Everything will be fine."

Mickey looked doubtful. "You seriously believe in all that shit?"

"Yeah," Ian said softly, his face inches from Mickey's. He didn't press their lips together just yet, waiting for an invitation.

Mickey's tongue flicked out to lick the corner of his mouth nervously. Was it really so simple? Could he and Ian be happy together?

His father's voice had been inside of his head his entire life, keeping him away from the things he yearned for most. But lately, Ian's voice was there too, tormenting him sweetly with promises that everything would be alright.

Now that his father was gone, maybe it would be.

"Fine," Mickey muttered. "Won't shout it from the rooftops or anything, but… I'll try."

A wide, dopey grin spread across Ian's face. "Pinky promise," he insisted, holding his little finger up like a stubborn child.

Mickey rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. "Jesus Christ, you're a loser," he grumbled. Still, he hooked their pinkies around each other without further argument.

Ian beamed at him fondly and leaned in to lock their lips together. As they sucked in each other's air, their fingers stayed firmly looped in place, and neither one of them wanted to let go.

Until suddenly Mickey hissed and pulled back.

"What the fuck?" he griped. A burning sensation seared through the skin of his pinky, different from all the times he'd felt pain there before. This time, despite the initial sting, the feeling was comforting and warm, full of sweet, pulsing pain that was so worth it.

He recognized the feeling immediately.

Before both of their very eyes, the string extended itself from Ian's finger and snaked around Mickey's, digging into his skin and reattaching to its original place.

"Can you see that?" Ian asked in awe. Mickey could only nod in response as he once again laid eyes upon the string he'd been so terrified of all those years ago. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia and relief, never realizing before then just how much he'd missed it.

The string radiated light, and everything that they'd lost when they were younger came flooding back. Mickey's emotions were suddenly accessible to Ian again, like a fog had finally cleared, and the anxiety he sensed hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Hey," he murmured. "It's gonna be okay."

Mickey didn't argue. He could _feel_ just how much Ian believed his own words. Instead, he wordlessly wrapped his hand around Ian's neck and pulled him in for another kiss. The way their lips drew together was nothing short of magnetic.

Neither one of them realized it yet, but they would get their fairytale happy ending eventually. After all, they were finally tied together again, back where they truly belonged. Just as fate had intended all along, their love burned red.

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me at lesbiaku.tumblr.com
> 
> Please comment or review~ :D


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